Happy
by Ginger1280
Summary: Ianto stole Jack's vortex manipulator and visits himself back at a time when he was happy he urges himself to stay that way and change his future self into someone happy and open with everyone including Jack. Then how would things be for them? fairly AU.
1. Ianto meets his future self

A/N: I kinda got this idea listening to the song 'Happy' by Leona Lewis. What if Ianto stole Jack's vortex manipulator one night and tried to change himself by going into the past to the point that he was at his happiest, and asking himself to stay that way? How does it change his life when he does so? This story is how everything changed when he promised to take a chance and be more happy and open with everything and everyone, including Jack. I hope you guys like this.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything Torchwood related... darn it.

.

.

.

Fifteen year old Ianto was tired of being sick. He was curled up in his bed, hugging a giant polar bear as he waited for his coughs to subside.

"Ianto, time for you to take your medicine." said Sarah softly as she checked his forehead to see if his fever was breaking.

Ianto looked up at his loving foster mother and saw that she was smiling kindly at him.

"Still not doing too well are you sweet heart?" she asked.

Ianto shook his head with a harsh cough before letting out a tiny whimper, hugging the polar bear a little tighter.

"Come on Ianto, it's time for you to take your medicine."

"But muuum!" He protested with a slight whine. "It tastes terrible!"

"I know it tastes terrible Ianto." she said sitting beside him and opening the bottle. "But wouldn't you rather have a week of nasty medication that makes you feel better or an extra week of the flu?"

Ianto let out a muffled grumble as he buried his face in the giant teddy's fur.

"Come on then, open up." she said, gently nudging him.

Ianto didn't move.

Sarah sighed. "Ianto? Would you rather me send you father in here to make you take it? Because you know he will."

Ianto finally relented turning over and sitting up with a huff.

He really didn't want his father to come and force him. While he loved his gentle foster father, the man was a navy commander, and not the kind you'd want, ordering you to take your medication.

"Fine, I'll take it." he sighed.

Sarah handed him the little plastic medicine cup full of the dark red syrup.

Ianto took a deep breath and downed the medicine in one gulp before gagging and sticking out his tongue in disgust. "Blech! That's disgusting." he grumbled handing back the cup. He then snuggled back down into his thick duvet and wrapped his arms around the teddy's neck as Sarah gently tucked him in.

"Now then, that wasn't too hard was it?" she asked with a smile.

Ianto said nothing, he just let out a content sigh as Sarah gently patted his chest.

"Get some sleep Ianto, the more rest you get, the quicker you'll get better."

"Yes ma'am."

"Goodnight Ianto." said Sarah, leaning over and kissing his nose.

Ianto let out a tired chuckle, slightly harsh from his sore throat. "Goodnight mum."

He watched as Sarah left his room, turning off his light, and shutting the door. Then he snuggled with his teddy as his eyes adjusted to the dim light from a blue and green lava lamp on his nightstand.

"I hate being sick." he grumbled to himself. But then he settled in for the night, taking deep breaths as the soothing menthol sent from the vaporizer on his floor filled the room.

Ianto was slowly drifting off to sleep when there was a sudden flash of light and a loud thud causing him to sit bolt upright. He looked around frantically to find the room empty.

But then he heard a cough from the floor beside his bed. He snuck under his covers and cautiously peeked out from the side of his blanket to see a man in a suit laying on his floor, with the breath knocked out of him.

"Ouch! Is that how Jack used to travel? What a terrible way to go." the man grouched sitting up. But then he turned and noticed Ianto watching him.

"Hello there." he said with a smile.

Ianto growled like a guard dog, in a feeble attempt to scare the man who just chuckled.

"It's alright, I'm not here to hurt you." he said, standing up and brushing himself off.

Ianto starred, the man seemed familiar in a very strange way. He sounded Welsh, but Ianto swore he never saw a man like him. "Wh… who are you?" he asked slowly.

"I'm you. Sort of. Ten years from now."

Ianto sat up and watched the man closely. "You're not me."

"I am." said the man with a nod.

"Then tell me something only we would know." Ianto said.

"Alright, dad gave you that teddy because when we first arrived here we ended up with appendicitis and had to go into the hospital. We woke up with it sitting on top of us and dad said it was so we'd have something to hug other then the pillow."

"Everyone in the house knows that story." he pointed out.

The man let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, you keep a detailed diary about you adventures here with the family, and you hide it…. over here." he said, reaching behind Ianto's bookshelf where he retrieved the diary that was hanging from the draw string that kept it closed.

Ianto starred. No one knew where his diary was, not even his closest siblings.

"Okay, so…. If you're me…. Why are you wearing a suit? I hate suits!" he protested. "Especially ties."

"You get used to it, trust me." the man said sitting in the desk chair beside him.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I borrowed a friend's vortex manipulator so I could come say hello." he said, holding up his wrist so Ianto could see a strange brown wrist strap.

"Okay, so ten years, you're what? Twenty five?"

"I am." he admitted with a nod.

"Well….. Where do we live? Do we have a girlfriend? And we what? Become a business man?" inquiring about the suit.

"We go to London and eventually end up back in Cardiff, I'm definitely not a business man, and we don't have a girlfriend."

Ianto caught something in the older man's voice and he stared. "What? A… boyfriend?"

He looked at the floor and shrugged. "Something like that I suppose." he muttered.

Ianto sat and contemplated the meaning of what he was just told and he was surprised to find, that he didn't seem to mind the notion at all. He had plenty of older foster siblings and cousins that ended up gay, of course, he also knew it took them forever to get comfortable with themselves. "Is he… is he handsome?" he asked slowly.

"Very."

"Is he nice?"

"Absolutely."

"Are we comfortable with it?"

"Still trying to get used to it, though you don't seem too shocked." said the man somewhat surprised.

"Maybe because I'm a lot more open minded right now." he suggested with a shrug. "Please don't tell me I end up the kind of guy that blends into the shadows."

"Something relatively close to that."

Ianto didn't like the sound of that. It had taken him months in a special foster home to bring him out of his shell, and he liked the way he was now, he didn't want to go back to sulking in the dark.

"You know… you can change me." the older Ianto said quietly.

He starred. "What do you mean?"

"You can change how we end up. Just know that we will go through some difficult times. We'll have to work through but by all means, if you think that we can make it through and not change, please do so. I'm fine with the way I am, but… I'd be much happier if I was like you again." he said honestly. "If I was open and honest with myself again."

"I can do my best." he said filing away the information in his mind for later.

"Good, now then, I better be getting back before my friend realizes this is missing." said the older Ianto standing up. "Just remember to do your best to stay happy, and try keeping in touch with Rhiannon, she thought we just couldn't wait to leave, and she thought maybe we were upset with her, so let her know that she never did anything wrong, and that we do care about her okay?"

"Okay, I'll call Rhi in the morning then." he said making a mental note. "Anything else?"

The older man smiled. "For the record, the first time you feel like kissing Captain Jack Harkness, take the chance and see what happens." he said with a grin, then he dissapeared in a flash of light.

Ianto starred at the empty space before him. "Captain Jack Harkness? Who the heck is he?" he mumbled. But then he grabbed his diary that had be set on the floor and quickly wrote down the description of the strange events, so he would be able to remind himself that it wasn't just a strange dream. Then he set the diary down on his nightstand, curled up under his covers with the teddy and drifted off to sleep, wondering how he was about to change his future.

.

.

.

A/N: okay, I hope you guys enjoy this, one thing I love about Ianto is how so little is known about his past it makes it easy to put him in new situations so I put him into my favorite foster family, which will be introduced in later chapters. So anyway, Leave a review, let me know what you think, feedback is always greatly appreciated!


	2. A pterodactyl and the first kiss

A/N: And now it all shifts into something of an alternate reality, I hope you guys like it, I promise it'll get better as it goes along!

Disclaimer: I don't have anything to do with Torchwood, I just like messing with the characters for fun.

.

.

.

Ianto sat starring at the diary entry he had written more then eight years ago as he sat in his car.

"Would I really have told myself to kiss Captain Jack Harkness?" he mumbled.

It had been three weeks since the battle of Canary Warf and he was desperate to get into Torchwood three to help save his best friend Lisa Hallett who had been partially converted into a cyberman.

Lisa had been his best friend, his only friend at Torchwood one, in London in general. A lot of people had told Ianto that he should've tried asking her out, but for some reason, he just never tried, he was content with their friendship the way it was and because she was his closest friend he promised that he would do his best to save her.

And if that meant flirting with Captain Jack Harkness he would do so, but why on earth would he want to kiss him?

Ianto sighed and closed his diary.

He had made two attempts to get into Torchwood three, and so far, both attempts were failures, so he resorted to his final attempt.

Ianto knew that Captain Harkness seemed to be a man of action, always enjoying the chance to go out into the field, and so, with a rift activity locator he had salvaged from Torchwood one, he found a pterodactyl that had slipped through time and into a warehouse. It was a perfect opportunity.

So when he took a deep breath and stepped out infront of Captain Harkness's SUV, he hoped he knew what he was doing. Ianto took the man's threats without a flinch and responded with a simple, "So you're not going to help me catch this pterodactyl then?"

The look on the man's face, let him know that he had gotten the Captain's attention.

This was going to be interesting.

.

And it was. He found himself easily flirting with the man about his aftershave, just to be surprised as he found out that the Captain wore no aftershave and he smelled that way naturally.

Ianto wasn't exactly fond to know that the man would rather have a pterodactyl come work for him as opposed to Ianto who could actually make himself useful.

But in the end, catching the pterodactyl had been fun, and he found himself laughing like he hadn't laughed in a long time, and he finally felt like himself for the first time since moving to London.

Then he realized he was lying on top of Jack Harkness, their noses barely an inch away from each other, and suddenly he figured out, what his older self had been talking about years before.

Ianto wanted to kiss Captain Jack Harkness, and it confused and thrilled him at the same time. He'd never been attracted to a man before. This was a first.

He saw the way the Captain was watching him intently. He could feel the lust and desire radiating off the man. It would have been so easy to close the gap.

The seconds ticked away, he could feel their hearts beating in sync with each other, and at that moment, he made his decision, he took a deep breath and closed the gap between them, and it was in that moment that he felt his entire world shift, as if something drastic had just happened within him giving him an intense feeling of vertigo.

The Captain kissed back enthusiastically, and Ianto found himself responding in the same manner gripping the man's shirt collar tightly, as if hoping it would keep him from floating away.

Ianto broke the kiss gasping for air. "This is a first." he mumbled.

He felt the man beneath him shake as he chuckled. "Really now? You're the one that started it Jones, Ianto Jones." he said in a flirtatious tone of voice.

Ianto looked down at him, and was surprised to find himself grinning slightly. "Must be the pheromones." he quipped, standing up. He held out his hand and helped the older man off the ground. "Of course, maybe we should take care of this unconscious pterodactyl as opposed to snogging like teenagers till it wakes up."

The Captain laughed and Ianto felt his stomach do a happy flip for some odd reason. He really liked the sound.

"Care to help me get it back to the hub?" he asked. "Or would you rather wait till you report for work tomorrow morning?"

Ianto smiled, he was in, and it appeared, he may have found himself a somewhat unusual friendship.

"If I help you tonight, can I name it?" he asked with a chuckle.

The Captain laughed again. "Why? What would you name her?"

"Myfanwy." he said.

The Captain starred. "Her voice isn't exactly melodic." he said.

"That's the point sir." he admitted.

The Captain just smiled and shook his head, "Come on, let's get Myfanwy to her new home. By the way, love the suit."

And with that Ianto assisted the man in carefully readying the pterodactyl for transport, feeling happier then he had in a long time, promising himself that he would stay happy for as long as he possibly could.

.

.

.

A/N:And now everything's about to change. if you like leave a review, if not... I didn't make you read it now did I?


	3. After the hunt

A/N: Chapter three! This story may actually go somewhere! Whoo! It's better then what I expected! Thanks to my reviewers!

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own any torchwood, I asked for them for my birthday last wednesday, but no such luck, sigh...

.

.

.

"So tell me sir, where do you plan on putting Myfanwy?" Ianto asked as they drove away from the warehouse.

"Good question. I think I have just the place to put her." Jack said, smiling at the young man.

Jack had to admit, he was glad the boy kept insisting. Catching the pterodactyl was the most fun he'd had in ages, so now Torchwood three had a new pet and a new employee. Of course, if he was honest with himself, the way Ianto Jones looked in a suit was a definite plus, as for what he was going to do within his small team, well, he'd figure it out with time.

The two rode back to the hub in silence, but Jack was surprised to admit that it was a comfortable silence.

He turned to look at Ianto to ask him a question, just to see him quietly dozing in the passenger seat, his head resting against the window, a tiny smile on his face. Jack couldn't help but smile.

Ianto looked so young, but Jack knew from his records that he was a survivor of Canary Wharf, the battle that left most of it's few survivors shattered to the point that they were beyond help. Yet the boy appeared to be at peace.

Jack just turned his attention back to the road, content with the peaceful silence as he contemplated what had happened.

Ianto had insisted on a job, Jack continually turned him down, threatened to retcon him or run him over. But the offer to go on a pterodactyl hunt had been too tempting, and he bit. But he was very surprised when Ianto began flirting a tiny bit, and after all of his years not much surprised him. Then he found himself in quite a predicament.

He was on the ground with Ianto Jones lying on top of him, their faces just inches away from each other, and he was surprised to feel an instant attraction to the young man, the kind of attraction he hadn't felt towards anyone since the doctor had abandoned him all those years ago. Then Ianto had to go and kiss him.

Jack had felt like his head was spinning, he had to admit, Ianto Jones was one hell of a kisser and it took his breath away. He had been disappointed when the kiss ended, and he hadn't felt like that in years.

Yup, working with this kid was going to be quite a challenge indeed.

When Jack arrived at the hub, he tried to wake Ianto, just to discover that the young man was passed out cold. Even when Jack shook him, he hardly moved.

"The poor kid must be exhausted." he mumbled, then he got out of the SUV and tried his best getting the unconscious pterodactyl into the hub where he found a perfect place high up in the hub to let it sleep off the sedative.

After he got Myfanwy settled into her new nest, he left a couple of extra chocolate bars and made sure the barrier was up before shutting the door and letting her sleep.

Jack then went back to the SUV outside to find Ianto awake but very sleepy and bleary eyed as he starred out of the windshield infront of him.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked softly, so as not to startle him.

Ianto said nothing and it was at that moment that Jack saw a haunted look in the boy's eyes, and heard his heavy breathing.

It was obvious he had been dealing with a nightmare while Jack got Myfanwy settled.

Jack went around to the passenger side and opened the door. He gently laid a hand on Ianto's shoulder causing him to jump violently before he seemed to curl up on himself, shrinking back into his suit jacket.

"Hey, come on now, no need to hide, you're okay, you're safe." Jack said in a soothing voice as he gently rubbed Ianto's back. He didn't know why, but seeing Ianto in this state caused a slight pain in his heart. "Ianto? Hey, listen to me Ianto, you have to come back, you have to focus on the present."

After what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes, Jack saw Ianto's eyes focus on him and he let out a deep breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He smiled a little. "Hi there stranger."

"Captain?"

Jack frowned as Ianto's voice cracked with pain.

"Let's get you home." he said. "Would you rather me drive you home or would you rather have me call a cab?"

Ianto said nothing.

"Alright, can you tell me how to get to your place from here?"

Ianto nodded quietly.

So with some quiet directions Jack managed to find his way to the block of flats that Ianto lived in just as dawn was beginning to approach on the foggy morning.

"Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee sir?" Ianto asked so softly that Jack almost missed it.

Jack had a feeling that the young man didn't want to be left alone for a while and he knew what that was like, he had dealt with these issues before, so he graciously accepted. He quietly followed Ianto upstairs and into the flat.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Sorry about the mess." Ianto said walking into the kitchen.

Jack hung his coat up on the coat rack beside the door before wandering into the living room where he found piles of boxes and things scattered all over a few shelves and the coffee table. He sat down on the couch and smiled at the pictures he saw.

There were pictures of the young man with what appeared to be family and friends.

He picked up the stack and began sorting through the photographs. Jack smiled when he saw a picture of a teenage Ianto Jones asleep in a hospital bed with a blonde man standing beside him, and a giant white polar bear laying on the boy's chest, it's nose resting on his.

"Are you done snooping through my photographs sir?" Ianto asked walking into the living room with two hot mugs of coffee.

"I'm sorry Ianto, I couldn't resist." he said setting the pictures down and taking the mug.

Ianto sat down beside him and picked up the photograph he had been looking at.

"This was when I first moved into my new foster home." Ianto said quietly. "After my father died. This is my foster father."

Jack watched Ianto in curiosity. "What's with the bear?" he asked, trying to lighten things up.

Ianto chuckled softly and Jack smiled a little. "I ended up with appendicitis. I didn't even make it home. We stopped in Washington D.C. and when I woke up from surgery, I found that polar bear sitting on me. Dad said it was a get well present so I'd have something to hug other than just my pillow."

Jack was slightly surprised that the boy was so open about being put in a foster home, but then he remembered something. "I don't recall any mentions of a foster home in your records."

"That's because I never trusted Torchwood one or Yvonne Hartman." Ianto said honestly with a shrug. "I'm sure you didn't trust them either."

"I hated Torchwood London." Jack said in honesty. "Of course I wouldn't trust them."

"Well there you go then." said Ianto.

The two drank their coffee in silence as the sun began to creep in through the curtains.

"Can I ask you a question Ianto?" Jack asked after nearly ten minutes.

"Of course sir, I just can't guarantee I'll answer." said Ianto, starring ahead at the wall.

Jack was somewhat surprised by the reply, but was not deterred. "Why did you kiss me earlier?" he asked, voicing the question that had been in his head since the incident.

"No clue." Ianto said before taking a big gulp of his coffee. "That's not normally something I'd do, I'm quite a reserved person."

"Yet you openly admitted that you were in a foster home." Jack pointed out, thoroughly confused.

"Besides my sister Rhiannon, my foster family was more like my real family then my biological family ever was. Plenty of family to relate to, and it didn't hurt to live someplace sunny and warm." Ianto said honestly.

"Sunny and warm, where'd you live, the Bahamas?"

"Southern California." he shrugged. "My dad's a Navy Captain and my mother's retired CIA."

Jack couldn't help but bobble his coffee slightly at the mention of his foster parent's careers.

"Are you alright there sir?" Ianto asked regarding him with curiosity.

"Retired CIA?"

"My mother was a spy during the last ten years of the cold war. Odd I know, but she's a wonderful mother."

Jack turned to see Ianto starring into space, a small smile as he recalled happy memories of his foster mother caring for him.

The two returned to their companionable silence as the room brightened with each passing minute.

"Well, thanks for the coffee Ianto but I should be getting to the hub." said Jack setting the empty mug on the coffee table.

"Do you mind if I get a ride sir, after all, my car is back near the warehouse where we caught Myfanwy." Ianto asked, standing up.

"Wouldn't you rather get some sleep first?" Jack asked.

"I don't sleep much these days sir. Just let me change since my suit's dirty."

So Jack let Ianto go change as he snooped through more pictures. Then he found one that piqued his curiosity.

It was a picture of Ianto sitting on the beach in a dirty, torn suit and a little boy sitting beside him, his clothes tattered and dirty as well, and they both looked absolutely broken as they starred at the sunset together.

He looked at the date on the corner and was surprised to see that it was the day after the battle at Canary Wharf.

The next picture was the same day, and it was Ianto enveloped in a hug from a giant in a flight suit, the boy in the giant's arms, gripping the collar of the suit tightly as he buried his face in the man's shoulder. But under those pictures were happier ones, like a young Ianto laying on the floor, consumed with laughter as a middle aged woman tickled his sides, or one with him in a baseball uniform.

Jack quickly set the pictures back on the table when he heard a noise signaling that Ianto was coming back out into the room.

"You know, we're pretty casual at Torchwood three. You don't have to wear a suit." he said when he saw the young man in a suit with a white shirt and red tie.

"I know sir, it's just…. Second nature by now I suppose." Ianto shrugged.

"If you say so. Now come on, I have to figure out just what I'm going to do with you." Jack sighed as he grabbed his coat.

And with that the two of them left Ianto's flat.

.

.

.

A/N: okay, slowly getting somewhere, it's obviously very different from the original but it's a work in progress! As always, if you like it, leave a review! If you don't, well then why the heck are you on chapter three anyway?


	4. A messy hub

A/N: I'm still slowly getting somewhere with this, let's see how it goes.

Disclaimer: I would love to own Torchwood, sadly though, I don't.

.

.

.

When Ianto arrived at the entrance to Torchwood three with Captain Jack Harkness, he couldn't help but stare.

"This is your cover story sir?" he asked skeptically as he surveyed the outdated tourist office.

"We don't really have enough people or time to give it a second thought." the captain shrugged. "And Ianto, it's just Jack, you don't have to call me sir, no one else does."

Ianto barely heard a word the man said. He was too busy sorting through leaflets that were at least ten years old, and some, maybe older.

"Are you coming or are you just going to sit and stare at our dilapidated cover story?" Jack asked, pushing a button behind the counter that opened up a small doorway.

Ianto just set everything down and followed Jack down an empty hallway that led to the main area of the hub.

"By the way sir, what have you done with Myfanwy?" he asked in curiosity.

"I found her a nice perch high in the hub, that's big enough for her to stretch her wings out." said Jack.

Ianto was about to say something, but words failed him when he saw the state of the entire workplace.

"Well, what do you think?" Jack asked.

"This place is a complete disaster!" Ianto protested. "Good Lord, how do you people find anything in here?"

It was quite a mess indeed. There were pizza boxes, cardboard coffee cups, wrappers, even crumpled up paper and chewed up pens everywhere.

"We…. Manage." Jack mumbled.

Ianto could feel embarrassment and a bit of disappointment coming from Jack as a result of Ianto's reaction.

The rest of the tour Ianto found himself having the same reactions, everything was a mess, and the archives….. Well, he didn't even want to get started on the state of their archives.

After an hour Ianto was sitting in front of Jack's desk as they talked over mugs of fresh coffee that Ianto had made for them.

"So what are we going to do with you Ianto Jones?" Jack asked.

"I can do everything sir." said Ianto. "I can take care of the tourist office so that it can actually be of use to people and serve as a decent cover story, I can keep the place clean, make sure everyone's taken care of, and I can organize the archives."

"If you can organize the archives Ianto, you'll be a savior, last time I had to send Suzie down there and we couldn't find her for an hour." Jack admitted with a chuckle.

"I'll go ahead and get started then sir." said Ianto with a nod. Then he stood up and walked out of the office.

He had no idea how he was going to get Lisa into this place, but he knew that if he blended in and took care of everyone and everything, they'd more then likely leave him alone and let him figure out what to do to help her and he knew he had to work quick, right now she was in a storage room near his new flat, and despite him spending every free moment with her, she was continually getting worse.

After about twenty minutes Ianto had the main area clean and he headed down to the archives to try and sort through part of them.

He wandered through the maze of shelves until he found an old desk covered in a thick layer of dust with an old outdated computer and a tiny lamp. He was somewhat surprised to not find a skeleton sitting at it.

Ianto tested the light as was happy to see that it worked, then he looked around at the shelves surrounding the desk. He hated seeing archives in such a mess. It was like when he used to work at the library while he was in high school. Whenever he would find things out of place and unorganized it drove him mad. He always made sure everything was kept and kept well and if given time, Torchwood three's archives would be the same.

So Ianto settled into one of his new spaces and began cleaning.

After nearly an hour and a half, Jack found Ianto sorting through the shelves, the desk cleaned and several shelves already organized.

"Wow, I'm impressed. Talk about work ethic." Jack said with a smile.

"Thank you sir, but your archives really are terrible. It'll probably take me months to get through this mess." he said honestly as he sorted through several files.

"Well could you put down whatever your doing for a moment and come upstairs? Tosh is here and I'd like to introduce you to her first. She's one of the easiest ones to get to know."

Ianto set the files down on the desk and followed Jack back up to the main area where he saw a Japanese woman sitting at one of the workstations.

"Jack, what happened in here? I know you didn't clean last night." she said looking at Jack, but she paused when she saw Ianto.

"Tosh this is Ianto Jones, Ianto, meet Toshiko Sato, one of the best computer geniuses you'll ever meet." Jack said introducing them.

"Hello Miss. Sato." said Ianto with a polite smile.

"It's just Tosh. It's nice to meet you Ianto." she said smiling back.

"Ianto here will be taking care of the archives and the tourist office and anything else we might need help with." said Jack.

"So you're the one that cleaned up in here?"

"I am." he admitted.

Tosh smiled. "I'm am very impressed!" she said honestly. "We're not exactly the neatest lot while we're at work."

Ianto had to admit he felt somewhat comfortable around Tosh, she appeared to be an introvert like himself, so he was more then happy to get her a cup of coffee. But when he met the other two, Suzie Costello and Owen Harper, he really wasn't sure what to make of them, and it was obvious they weren't sure what to make of him, so he retreated to the tourist office till he ordered lunch for everyone, then after lunch he headed back down to the archives where he spent the rest of the evening.

.

.

.

A/N: I seem to be on an interesting roll with this idea! Keep reviewing and I'll gladly keep writing!


	5. A game of basketball and more

A/N: I'm finally getting somewhere! Yay! I hope you guys are still enjoying this!

Disclaimer: Don't I just wish I owned Torchwood. If I did, Ianto never would've died...

.

.

.

Jack would always smile as he watched Ianto from his desk in his office.

Ianto was fitting in nicely, he had been a part of the team for a couple of months now, and he was enjoying having the boy around.

Everyday was something different with Ianto and Jack had to admit he was enjoying every minute of it.

Since joining, Ianto had quickly found his place within Torchwood three.

The hub was always clean, the archives were finally organized and perfect, everyone always had their coffee and were fed regularly, and the tourist office was actually being used by tourists.

Jack noticed Ianto seemed to have developed a close relationship with Tosh and there was even a decent friendship between Ianto and Owen full of snarky bantering.

But Ianto seemed to stay away from Suzie which was perplexing to him. Ianto kept limited contact with Suzie, only bringing her coffee and food and giving her the quiet greeting.

But Jack ignored it because he had found a close companionship with the boy. One that he wouldn't trade for anything.

Ianto worked late into the night and afterwards always shared a cup of coffee over a pleasant conversation in Jack's office. He was always the first one in early in the morning, delivering a cup of coffee to Jack's desk, just as he managed to haul himself up the tiny ladder that led down to his tiny room. Jack was always flirting with the kid, especially about the suits and was surprised to find that Ianto would respond with quick wit and dry humor followed by a cheerful smile.

.

One night Jack had sent the team home early around five then he brought out the basketball net and invited Ianto to play with him.

Ianto had taken off his suit jacket, and tossed it onto the couch before joining him.

Myfanwy on the other hand had settled on the railing of the catwalk above to watch the two men play.

After nearly an hour the two were tied.

Jack was panting for breath and was surprised to see that Ianto didn't seem to be getting tired at all.

"Getting tired sir?" Ianto asked with a grin.

"How on earth?" Jack gasped.

"I used to play baseball sir. And I played basketball with my brothers and sisters all the time." he said with a smile. "Now then, should I just finish off the game, or are you going to be a challenge for that last shot?"

And with that Jack felt as if his stamina got quite a boost, he was right up against Ianto's back trying to block him as Ianto kept a tight grip on the basketball. It was obvious he wasn't going to relent.

Then Jack remembered the picture of Ianto lying on the floor with his mother tickling him, and he got an idea. He reached down and put his hands on Ianto's sides before flexing his fingers and getting a squeal in response. He knew he found something he could use to his advantage. He quickly began tickling Ianto relentlessly and soon the young man was overcome with helpless peals of childish laughter.

Ianto turned in Jack's arms and Jack starred, surprised.

"That's cheating sir!" he protested.

"Is it now?" Jack asked his eyebrows arched as he watched Ianto closely his hands on Ianto's hips.

"Absolutely!"

"Well, you wanted me to be a challenge." he said, "And now you can't shoot."

The basketball was trapped between their chests and Ianto was standing with his back to the basket.

"You don't think I can make it shooting backwards?" Ianto asked questioningly.

"I don't." Jack confirmed wondering where Ianto was going with this.

"You willing to bet on that Jack?"

Jack starred. It was the first time Ianto had spoken his name and he loved the sound of it in Ianto's smooth welsh accent.

"I am willing to bet on it." he said agreeing to Ianto's little game.

"Alright then, if I make this shot, without even looking, you owe me twenty quid and a drink at the pub."

"If not, you owe me twenty quid and I get the chance to see you out of this suit." said Jack holding Ianto close with an arm wrapped around the man's waist as he tweaked Ianto's blue silk tie.

"Harassment sir!" Ianto responded playfully as he leaned in, their lips barely a fraction of an inch apart.

"Go on, I want to see if you can really make this shot." Jack said, not letting go.

Ianto grinned and Jack watched as Ianto tossed the ball back one handed and sank it right into the basket, the only noise being the gentle swish of the net as it hit the pebbled rubber of the ball.

Jack's arms fell to his side as he starred in disbelief and Ianto laughed.

"How the hell….." Jack mumbled, bewildered as to how Ianto could've made such a shot.

"Now, about that drink," said Ianto returning with Jack's greatcoat as well as his own grey coat.

"How did you do that?" Jack asked, taking his coat and putting it on.

"I told you, I used to play with my brother's and sister's all the time." Ianto shrugged as he put on his own coat. "You learn to master trick shots in my family. If you want to win anyway."

Jack just laughed as the two headed towards the cog door.

"We'll be back in a bit Myfanwy!" Ianto called up to the pterodactyl that was watching as they left.

"Be good, we'll bring you back some chocolate!" Jack chimed in.

.

At the pub the two of them sat contently in a booth chatting away happily.

"So, what kind of kid were you like in school Ianto?" Jack asked curiously.

"What kind of kid was I? I was a nerd." said Ianto honestly before taking a gulp of beer.

"A nerd? Really?"

"A science nerd and a bookworm, oh and an orchestra geek."

Jack bobbled his drink slightly. "Orchestra?"

"I played the violin. I was the unknown kid that the whole school heard about but hardly ever saw."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does. I was the starting pitcher for our baseball team and we never lost a game, so everyone heard of me, but no one really knew who I was because I was a quiet geek that stuck to my five friends."

"Right."

"Did you ever go to school sir?" Ianto asked in curiosity.

"I quit school and joined the time agency at a young age." said Jack honestly.

"The time agency?"

"It's a long story. But eventually I ended up here in the 1880's and I've been here ever since." Jack admitted, surprised that he was actually admitting things to Ianto.

"So what was school like?"

"I don't remember anymore. I buried away the memories of my home a long time ago. So, you're not surprised that I've been around since the eighteen hundreds?" he asked curious of Ianto's reaction.

"Number one, you're rubbish at archiving sir, there are things in there with your signature on it back when Torchwood still used handwritten documents. Number two, I have a brother like you. He looks no older then me, but he celebrated his eighty sixth birthday last December."

This time Jack gasped and ended up with beer in his nose, Ianto starring as he hacked and coughed.

"Are you alright Jack?" he asked, gently patting Jack's shoulder.

"You have a brother who's eighty six years old?" he asked.

"Yes. My dad's much the same way. He looks just a little bit older then my brother, but he just turned seventy five."

"How's your brother older then your father?"

"Long story." Ianto shrugged.

Jack just starred before taking a long gulp of his drink, eyeing the boy in curiosity.

.

After the two had enjoyed a couple drinks together, they headed back to the hub and fed Myfanwy a dark chocolate bar before they sat in Jack's office, sharing another late night conversation over coffee.

"Ianto, I was curious, how come you seem to be fine with everyone here, except Suzie?" Jack asked as they sat in his office together.

Ianto appeared to become uncomfortable with the subject. "Don't know sir, she just…. Makes me feel uneasy I suppose. Tosh I get along well with because we're both introverts, we share a lot of the same experiences, Owen…. Well, once you get used to Owen's snark, he's not so bad, especially if you can come up with a witty retort. Suzie….. I don't know. I didn't feel comfortable with her before, and it hasn't gotten any better. Actually, I feel even more uneasy with her and that gauntlet."

Jack new he was talking about Suzie's sudden fascination with the resurrection glove and the knife and to top it off there was a sudden flurry of murders to go with it.

"I completely understand what you mean Ianto. I have been worrying about Suzie and that damned glove." he said honestly before taking a sip of coffee. He looked over at Ianto who seemed distracted as he starred out the window. He couldn't help but gaze appreciatively at the young man sitting before him.

Ianto had since took off his tie leaving his top two buttons undone and his shirt open, his hair was still ruffled from their game earlier and his clothes were slightly rumpled and his sleeves rolled up.

Jack had to admit Ianto looked fantastic, especially when he was relaxed and at peace.

Suddenly Ianto seemed to jolt out of his musings surprising Jack and making him jump slightly.

"Anyway! I best get home, is there anything you need before I go sir?" he asked with a smile.

"I could easily think of a few things." Jack said with a grin.

Ianto chuckled and shook his head. "Get your mind out of the gutter Jack." he said as he stood and retrieved their mugs.

Jack starred, surprised by the comment, then he followed Ianto out of the office and into the kitchen.

"Who says I was thinking something dirty?" he asked as Ianto washed the mugs.

Ianto looked at him with a raised brow. "Really? Come now Jack, I've gotten to know you well enough to know exactly what comes to your mind when it get's late."

Jack sighed and leaned against the counter as Ianto finished cleaning the mugs and put them in they drying rack.

"And what do you think comes to my mind when it gets late?" he inquired.

"What usually sends you and Owen out on the pull at one in the morning?"

"And here I thought you were just an innocent nerd." Jack sighed with a smile.

"I only said I was a nerd, I never said I was innocent." Ianto said with a grin, as he leaned against the counter, a hand on his hip.

Jack starred for the thousandth time that night. He felt a familiar stirring inside, loving the way Ianto was grinning at him and he really wanted to wipe that grin off of Ianto's face with a kiss, had been dreaming about it for months.

"Well I'll have you know Ianto Jones that I haven't been out on the pull in months. When would I have time, I'm always here chatting with you at midnight."

Ianto rolled his eyes at him. "Chatting or else flirting with me like there's no tomorrow."

"Well, I can't help it if you're such an interesting person to flirt with." Jack said with a bit of a leer.

"Right, well I know exactly how to wipe that type of grin off your face." Ianto said.

Jack was astonished when Ianto invaded his personal space, leaning in close forcing Jack to lean back against the counter "Do you now?" he winced when he heard his voice go up a couple of octaves making Ianto laugh.

"And that did it right there." said Ianto turning around to walk away.

"Now wait just a minute Mr. Jones." he said regaining his voice. "It's not nice to tease like that."

"I didn't do it to be nice, _sir_." Ianto said, emphasizing the 'sir' as he grinned and walked away.

And with that Jack's resolve crumbled. He grabbed Ianto by the arm, pulled him flush against his chest, and kissed him hard on the lips.

Ianto responded with no protest, as they deepened the kiss.

Jack felt himself get lightheaded as he explored Ianto's mouth and Ianto gently responded in the same manner.

.

The rest of the evening was a blur and Jack found himself contently lying in his tiny bed with Ianto curled up beside him under the covers.

He smiled down at the sleeping young man.

Ianto looked adorable when he was asleep, his hair was sticking up at odd angles and he was hugging the pillow tightly, a peaceful smile on his face.

It had been quite an hour in Jack's opinion, and he had been thoroughly buggered by the young man. Of course, he also knew that he had to erase the CCTV footage to make sure no one else saw it. But it'd be a shame really…

Jack was brought out of his musings as he felt Ianto stir beside him. He watched as Ianto stretched and yawned.

"I should probably be getting home Jack." Ianto murmured as he stifled another yawn while rolling onto his back.

"Aww, already?" Jack asked, disappointedly.

Ianto chuckled. "Jack it's after one in the morning."

"But do you really have to go? I mean, you have an extra suit in your locker don't you?" Jack asked, wrapping his arms around Ianto's waist and pulling him close.

Ianto wrapped and arm around Jack's shoulder and gently ran a hand through the hair at the nape of Jack's neck making him shiver with pleasure.

"Ohh, you keep doing that Ianto and I'm not letting you leave, or get any more sleep for that matter." he said looking at the young man, with a lustful gaze.

Ianto grinned and Jack felt his breath catch. 'Damn he looks sexy!' he thought to himself.

"Is that a promise, _sir_?" Ianto asked pushing Jack onto his back and climbing on top of him.

"Absolutely." he said.

And with that, neither one of them got any more sleep until dawn.

.

.

.

A/N: Ianto ticklish? Hmm... interesting thought. Anyway! if you want me to keep writing keep reviewing, if not, well your opinion doesn't have to be heard cause you're obviously not going to keep reading, sorry.


	6. cheering up Tosh

A/N: Sorry if things get a bit confusing at the moment, but I promise it'll all make sense soon! I know where I'm going with this! Kinda. My friend once told me I tend to keep conversations running into a billion different topics that never clarify the original topic. My response: I like to leave people in the dark and say find your own flashlight. If you can't find it, well... I just hope you don't run face first into a wall. But I'll try and clarify as I can, promise! Now enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't I wish I own Torchwood. But hey, we can't have everything, can we?

.

.

.

When Ianto woke up, he was somewhat surprised to find that he was still in Jack's tiny bed, Jack's arms wrapped around his waist. He could hardly believe what had happened the night before. He had teased Jack and Jack had kissed him, it was like jumping without a safety harness, and now, he was falling.

And falling for a man no less.

Ianto let out a heavy sigh as he quietly and carefully untangled himself from Jack before putting on his undershirt, trousers, socks and shoes, then he headed upstairs and down to his locker were he kept a spare suit.

After a shower and a shave he headed into the archives down to Lisa's room where he checked on her.

Ianto had finally managed to sneak Lisa in when Jack had gone to London for three days and he kept Lisa in a room that was never used and no one else went near. He checked on her first thing in the morning before Jack got up, once at Lunch after everyone was fed, and once at night before having his evening coffee with Jack and on days when the entire team was out on a mission, Ianto would check on her.

He sat down in a chair beside Lisa and began to read a chapter from one of her favorite books to try and keep her comfortable and he quickly lost himself in the story.

After about twenty minutes though he set down the book and checked his watch. It was almost time for him to head upstairs and start the coffee.

"Kit's doing well." he said softly, looking at her. "He's very happy with my brother."

Khristopher was a seven year old, and one of the last living survivors of Canary Wharf. Torchwood London had kidnapped the poor orphan off the streets when they discovered he was an incredible genius with an amazing mind that worked differently from any human and to his and Lisa's horror, they had poked and prodded the child, and the day that the battle began, was the day that Yvonne Hartman had ordered his death and dissection.

Ianto knew that he and Lisa were the closest things Khristopher had to a family. They had affectionately nicknamed the boy Kit. Lisa would sit and read to him every night before she went home, and would bring him Jell-O, his favorite treat after dinner. On Lisa's day off, Ianto watched after him, and at night, when the security cameras were shut down for maintenance or one of his security acquaintances were watching the footage, Ianto would take Kit out of the cells to wander the archives with him.

During the battle, after Ianto had escaped the archives he found Kit in one of the labs, trapped under the bodies of the scientists that had hurt him the worst. He quickly rescued Kit and got him out of Torchwood tower.

Once Lisa was someplace safe where no one could find her, Ianto's oldest foster brother Alistair had ordered him home to recover, had shown up on his doorstep the very next morning, and dragged him and Kit onto a plane to LA in their dirty tattered clothes.

Kit had been quickly overwhelmed by the other children, so Alistair had taken him and his daughter Lilly would sit with Kit for hours on end, never speaking, just hugging the boy until several days later, Kit had come out of his shell and began talking.

When Ianto had last talked to Alistair, Kit was well integrated into the Berkenbridge family and was undergoing plenty of therapy to help him feel better.

"You should see him now Lisa." Ianto said softly. "He's so happy. He has a sister now, that's his age, she takes very good care of him and always keeps an eye on him. His mother Sahara adores him. He's finally found himself a good home."

Ianto smiled, remembering when he had been like Kit at one point, an orphaned teen with nothing left to live for. Then the family had taken him in and given him a wonderful home.

"I best get upstairs Lisa. I'll be back around lunch time." he said, then he stood up, checked her one last time, then left the room.

He headed upstairs and began making coffee for him and Jack.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Ianto jumped, spilling some coffee on his hand. He had been so lost in thought that he didn't even notice Jack walk up behind him.

"I'm fine Jack, just tired." he said, as he wiped the coffee off of his hand with the tea towel.

"I figured you were tired. I just wondered what you were thinking about." Jack said. "Are you okay, with last night and all?"

Ianto smiled a little bit. "Last night was certainly interesting." he said honestly. "That was a first for me."

"I still can't believe…" Jack sighed and shook his head. "Needless to say I was surprised and highly impressed."

Ianto just chuckled and handed Jack his coffee.

"If you say so sir." he said, taking a sip of his own coffee. "Now then, I believe you owe me some paperwork, and I'm pretty positive you never finished it last night. You have till lunch time to get that paperwork to me or else there may not be a next time."

Jack starred at him, mouth open. "You're serious?" he gasped.

"Dead serious." Ianto quipped. "You best get started on that. That pile was awful big sir."

And with that Jack quickly ran to his office leaving Ianto with a smile before he began his morning rituals.

"Good morning Tosh." he said as Tosh arrived at the tourist office. But he frowned. "Tosh? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just been…. One of those mornings." she sighed. "The kind where everything can go wrong will go wrong and you feel like crap."

Ianto knew all good and well how those type of days could affect a person. But he didn't like seeing his friend in such a state.

After Tosh had left the tourist office, Ianto had gone back to the hub, and made a Tosh her favorite flavored coffee and brought her a sweet roll with extra icing.

She looked up at him in surprise.

"Even if everything in your day goes wrong, at least there's people that want to help make it better." he said with a kind smile, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "How about you and I go out for lunch today Tosh? I hear today's supposed to be beautifully sunny."

Tosh finally smiled a little. "Thanks Ianto, that would be great."

"Alright then, I'll see you around lunch time." he said then he walked into Jack's office to find him diligently working at his paperwork. "Jack?"

"Yes Ianto?"

"Tosh seems to be having a bit of a bad day, do you mind if I take her out to lunch?"

Jack smiled at him. "I think that'd be great for Tosh, Ianto."

"Thanks Jack." he said. "But don't think that meant you're out from doing the paperwork. I want it before I leave."

Jack sighed and went back to work leaving Ianto to walk out of the office with a smirk.

After making sure that Owen and Suzie had their coffee he retreated to the tourist office for several hours doing his own paperwork before heading down to the archives.

He kept himself busy most of the day, checking on Lisa before ordering lunch for the rest of the team.

Ianto took the pizza's up to the boardroom before walking into Jack's office.

"Lunch is here Jack, where's my paperwork?" he asked.

Jack sighed and handed him a giant stack of files. "Happy now?" he grumbled.

"Very. I ordered your favorite pizza, it's up in the board room." he said.

"Great. Have fun with Tosh, and get her to smile a bit will ya? I always hate seeing Toshiko when she's having a bad day." Jack admitted.

"I'll do my best." he said. Then he followed Jack out of the office. "Suzie, Owen, pizza's up in the boardroom."

The two quickly quit what they were doing and followed Jack up to the boardroom.

"Come on Tosh, let's go have lunch." he said grabbing their coats. He handed Tosh her coat and Tosh linked her arm with his as they headed out through the cog door. On their way out Ianto set the files under the desk in the tourist office, then they left the office and walked out into the sunny bay.

Ianto took Tosh to her favorite little sandwich shop near the plass and before long the two were sitting with sandwiches and drinks.

"Care to tell me what's gone wrong today?" Ianto asked softly.

"It started out with the usual girl problems and went on from there." she sighed. Then she paused. "But I don't expect you to understand."

Ianto smiled a little. "Do you have any idea how many sisters I have Tosh?" he asked with a soft chuckle. "I know when I finally left California, I had about twelve sisters and half of them were in their teens all living under the same roof."

"I didn't know you had any sister's Ianto." she said with a tiny smile.

"There's my biological sister Rhiannon, then there's all of my foster siblings. I've lost count on them, and don't even get me started on my cousins."

"I was an only child, so I never knew what having siblings was like." Tosh said honestly.

"It's an interesting experience, that's for sure." he admitted.

"I didn't even have a pet. Well, I had a beta fish, but that was about it. Not exactly the best cuddle pet." she sighed with a shrug.

"I had a cheetah named Lana that shared my bed."

Tosh jerked back in surprise. "A cheetah?"

"The foster home I moved into was part animal sanctuary. My best friends were Lana, Aldair, and Lulu. Lulu was a very interesting baby elephant. Her mom was an Asian elephant, and her dad was an African elephant, and Aldair was a very special giant anteater."

"I don't believe you." Tosh said simply.

Ianto reached into his pocket and took out his wallet where he kept a lot of family pictures. He pulled out one with him and his favorite friend. "That's Lana." he said.

Tosh stared at the picture. "That's you… with a cheetah…. licking your head." she said in awe.

"I was fifteen when that was taken. In all honestly, you've never really had a bad hair day till you woke up to a cheetah licking your head or anteater drool soaking your hair."

"Anteaters drool?" she asked in curiosity, handing back the picture.

"Aldair does, and when he drools, he really drools."

"Eww!" Tosh giggled.

Ianto smiled, he was glad he finally got a giggle out of Tosh. That was exactly what he had been aiming for.

"There now, that's better. You're very pretty when you smile Tosh." he said.

Tosh blushed and Ianto chuckled.

"So any other weird things about your family?" she asked.

"My Uncle Conner is a six hundred and twenty two year old sorcerer that lost all of his power centuries ago."

Tosh blinked. "Now you're pulling my leg."

"Seriously. You asked, what else was weird, I told you. I mean, unless you want to hear about my father and my Uncle Malachai who share a body."

"You know, you're quite a story teller Ianto." Tosh said with a smile.

"Who say's I'm telling stories?" he asked with a shrug and a grin. "I'm just telling you about part of my family. You want a real story teller, talk to my nephew Roderick. Now he's a story teller that can draw pictures in the sky with his magic chalk."

Now Tosh was laughing. "You should write books Ianto, that's Happy Potter grade stuff right there."

"So it is." Ianto said with a smile. But of course, in all honesty, he was just like Jack when it came to his stories. What everyone else took for an overactive imagination was really the truth.

If only people could meet his foster family, they'd be too astounded for words.

But in the meantime, it was getting Tosh to smile and that was what mattered.

After lunch Ianto and Tosh headed back to the hub, Tosh obviously in a much better mood.

"Wow, you really made her smile Ianto." said Jack with a smile after Ianto brought him a cup of coffee. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her about my six hundred year old Uncle, the Cheetah I used to share my bed with and the anteater that used to drool in my hair, and my story telling nephew and his magical chalk."

Jack paused, his mug halfway up to his lips. "Seriously? You made things up?"

"Who said I was making things up?" Ianto asked with a grin. Then he set down a large stack of files on Jack's desk.

Jack groaned. "Really Ianto?"

"I expect these on my desk tonight sir." he said. Then he left the office, ready to continue his work on the archives right as Suzie called: "Another murder Jack! Let's go try the glove!"

Ianto turned to look at Jack and they both shared the same uneasy look.

Suzie really was going overboard with the glove and the way she was acting was making Ianto very nervous.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Jack watching him.

"You're worried too huh?" Jack whispered.

"She's beginning to actually scare me Jack, you might want to talk to her before she does something irrational." he said, then he retreated to the archives as the others left the hub.

It was going to be a long night.

.

.

.

A/N: Now Ianto's telling wild stories? Hmm... wonder how that will turn out? Anyway, thanks to my usual reviewers! And thanks to badly-knitted for pointing out my atrocious spelling issues :)! I always have trouble with the simplest words. Anyway, the usual, if you want me to keep writing review and I'll gladly keep going, if not... well whatever, I don't have to know about that.


	7. Stories of consequences

A/N: it appears I am getting somewhere! And thank you for pointing out my little mistake with Lisa's name in the last chapter, it is fixed, and taken care of. As I say, constructive criticism and a friendly 'hey you missed this' is always welcome, and when you're nice about it, I will gladly fix it. If anyone's confused by Ianto's family, it'll be sorted out soon enough. Just wait till little Kit comes for a visit! Anyway, I'm babbling, so go ahead and start reading, I hope you guys still enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I would give anything to own Torchwood... well... not anything, but almost anything.

.

.

.

Jack smiled as he watched Ianto walk into the hub with Tosh.

It was obvious that their lunch had made her day because now Tosh was glowing and cheerful.

Ianto was a good friend always taking care of everyone and putting the team and their well being before his own.

Jack had finally finished the paperwork Ianto had given him and he was proud of himself even though it took him so long.

He was brought out of his musings as Ianto brought him a cup of coffee.

"You really made Tosh smile Ianto." he said with a smile. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her about my six hundred year old Uncle, the cheetah I shared my bed with and the anteater that used to drool in my hair, and my story telling nephew and his magical chalk."

Jack paused and stared. "You made things up?" he inquired with a raised brow.

"Who said I was making things up?" Ianto asked, grinning.

Jack was about to say something, when Ianto dumped another pile of paperwork on his desk. "Really Ianto?" Jack asked with a groan.

"I expect them on my desk tonight sir." said Ianto, then he turned to walk out of Jack's office.

It was then that they heard Suzie shout: "Another murder Jack! Let's go try the glove!"

Jack saw how Ianto stiffened, so he stood up and gently rested a hand on Ianto's shoulder making the young man jump.

"You're worried too huh?" he asked softly.

"She's beginning to actually scare me Jack, you might want to talk to her before she does something irrational." he said, then he retreated to archives.

Jack sighed. Ianto was right. He really needed to talk to Suzie.

"Not tonight Suzie." Jack said as Suzie grabbed her coat. "You really need to stop with this glove."

"But Jack! I've almost got the hang of it now!" she protested.

"I don't care Suzie, this is something we probably shouldn't be dabbling in."

And that began quite an argument between Jack and Suzie who was suddenly supported by Tosh and Owen with an argument about how they should continue their research for science's sake, and he caved.

.

Then P.C. Gwen Cooper got involved and everything became a mess. Though he admitted, he did like teasing her, in the end, he realized as the day continued that the whole mess was just getting bigger and he couldn't stop it.

"I heard the argument last night." said Ianto walking into the office after everyone had left.

"This whole thing is snowballing Ianto, I don't know what to do." he grumbled, rubbing the heals of his hands over his face. He jumped when he felt a gentle hand rubbing his back. Jack looked up and saw Ianto watching him.

"You have to just try and say no Jack." he said.

"Not as easy as it sounds."

"Oh I know, trust me. I know. Take my dad for example." said Ianto sitting on the desk beside him. "My dad is the Captain of an aircraft carrier, and he has a family with twenty kids. He wants to please everyone, but it's not possible, and he knows that there are times that the right decision isn't the decision that's going to make everyone happy. You know that the right decision is to stop the use of that glove, it's not going to make them happy, but it's the right decision none the less."

Jack sighed as Ianto gently ran his fingers through the hair at the base of Jack's neck, helping him relax as he let Ianto's words sink in.

"You're right Ianto, I need to say no." he said with a sigh.

Ianto said nothing, he just continued to gently rub the back of Jack's neck.

"Besides Jack, you shouldn't mess with resurrection." Ianto finally said, breaking into his thoughts. "I should know."

Jack looked up at him. "And how would you know?" he asked.

"Because I know everything." Ianto deadpanned. Then he smiled a little. "No but really, it's called family experiences. Take my six hundred year old uncle for example."

Jack leaned back in his chair. "Care to explain?" he asked with a raised brow.

Ianto shifted on Jack's desk to get comfortable then he took a deep breath. "Just remember that this will sound more like something out of a fantasy story, but it's all true."

"Ianto, we work with aliens. Our whole life is a Sci-fi novel." Jack pointed out.

"This is true." Ianto said with slight nod. "Anyway, my Uncle Conner Midnight is a prime example of why you don't mess with resurrection. It was back in the fourteenth century. He was considered the most powerful sorcerer in Europe and a very powerful spellspinner."

Jack could hardly believe his ears.

Aliens were easy enough to believe, but Ianto having a sorcerer in his family? Now that was just odd.

"What's a spell spinner?" he asked.

"It meant he could create his own spells as easy as he could snap his own fingers." Ianto explained with a shrug. "Anyway, he used to be the king's sorcerer, but when his king died, he was set free and he moved to a little village, got married, was happy. His wife died of the black plague and he ended up so stricken with grief that he tried to bring her back, which of course means messing with black magic. It backfired, he lost her soul which was sent to another century, and he lost all of his power. He went from being the most powerful sorcerer and a spell spinner, to being barely more then a potions master. It also made him immortal. He has to live for all eternity for what he's done."

Ianto paused and took a deep breath. "Now do you see why you don't mess with things? My Uncle is a prime example of why you shouldn't mess with things like life and death."

"And that's a true story?" Jack asked.

"I could show you pictures of my Uncle through the centuries." Ianto confirmed with a straight face. "But the point is, think about what this glove could be costing us. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If trying to bring one soul back took away my uncle's power, what is this glove taking from us? What if one day, trying to resurrect one person kills another in it's place? Have we thought about that?"

Jack considered what Ianto had asked him. "No, we haven't." he admitted. He paused then let out a heavy sigh. "You're right, we should've thought about those things."

He stopped and thought about what the consequences of the glove could really be. But after a moment he smiled. "You're so smart Ianto." he said with a grin, ruffling Ianto's hair. "My cute little nerd."

"Hey! Watch it!" Ianto protested, slapping Jack's hand away. "If you're not careful, when you wake up tomorrow, you'll find your morning coffee won't exactly be up to par."

Jack frowned and narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't?"

"Wouldn't I?" Ianto asked with a sweet smile.

"Alright, fine, I'll leave you alone." he sighed, stretching back in his seat. "Does that mean I can ask for one more coffee before you leave tonight?"

"I could use a cup myself I suppose." Ianto said, standing up. "Just think about what I said Jack."

"I will." Jack said honestly as he watched Ianto walk out of his office. He then turned on the CCTV footage outside of the tower to see if anything interesting was happening and he was surprised to find a lone woman walking around by the tower at three a.m.

"Is that P.C. Cooper sir?" Ianto asked, returning with their coffee.

"What the hell? I retconed her." he protested.

"Maybe there was something that acted as a trigger to bring back her memories." Ianto suggested.

Jack just let out a heavy sigh as he took his mug of coffee. "Who knows?" he mumbled. But just as he was about to take a sip...

"Jack, Suzie's out there." Ianto warned.

Jack jumped and starred at the screen to see Suzie Costello holding Gwen Cooper at gun point. "Damn it!" he growled, jumping up and running out of the office.

A couple of hours later, Jack found himself wandering back into the hub wishing the day would end.

Suzie had killed herself, confessed to the murders and killed herself. She had killed Jack, almost killed P.C. Cooper. The woman now remembered everything, knew that he was immortal, and had been offered a job and he felt like a failure.

"Ianto?" he called into the hub. He sighed when there was no response. "Of course Ianto wouldn't stay." he mumbled.

Ianto had been kind enough to help take Suzie's body down into the morgue while Jack dealt with Gwen Cooper, but Jack should've known that he wasn't going to stay after that.

Jack walked into the morgue where he saw Suzie's body on a slab, ready to go into the drawer. He looked down and suddenly the feeling of failure was overwhelming. He could've prevented this. Should have prevented this. He quietly zipped up the bag and shut the drawer before he headed into his office.

Then he did the only thing he could think of to end the pain, at least for a couple of minutes. He pulled out his webley and held it under his chin, just as Suzie had hours earlier.

.

.

.

A/N: if you guys still like it keep reviewing and I'll keep writing! Thanks to all of my usual readers and reviewers! I appreciate it all!


	8. comforting Jack

A/N: okay, this one's just kind of a short quickie chapter so everyone doesn't have to wait for Ianto's reaction. I'll try and post another chapter tonight though. Thanks for reading guys!

disclaimer: I don't own Ianto or Jack... would kinda be nice though.

.

.

.

"What a rotten night." Ianto sighed to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. He had known Suzie was becoming irrational, but to become a murderer then kill herself? There was no way he had seen that coming.

After getting Suzie's body down to the morgue, Ianto had used Jack's mobile to tell Tosh and Owen not to come in for the day, they didn't need to know just yet, and not with Jack looking so fragile all of the sudden. Then he had headed down to the archives where he checked on Lisa one last time for the night.

After telling Lisa goodnight, and checking to make sure everything was in order, Ianto had gone back upstairs but the hub was empty.

He looked at his watch. "Strange, Jack should've been back by now." he mumbled.

Just then he saw the muzzle flash through the window of Jack's office, as the sound of a pistol shot rang through the hub.

Ianto panicked and ran into Jack's office just to stop in the door, horrified by the sight of his boss and friend slumped over in his chair, the webley on the floor and blood covering the wall.

Of course, Ianto knew Jack couldn't die, found plenty of accounts of his immortality down in the archives, describing horrific deaths that he had come back from, but that didn't make the sight any easier to take in.

He rushed over to stand behind Jack waiting for him to wake up, wishing he would wake up soon.

Sure enough, within a few minutes Jack awoke with a gasp of air, panicking as his arms flailed about.

Ianto quickly embraced the older man, and tried to calm him. "Shhh, it's alright Jack, I'm right here, you're not alone." he whispered soothingly, remembering the first time Jack had comforted him in the SUV after his nightmare all those months ago. "You're alright Jack."

He held onto Jack from behind, ignoring the blood that he was getting on his suit, gently running a hand through Jack's blood soaked hair as he whispered soothing welsh words in Jack's ear.

After a few minutes Jack calmed down a bit, but then Ianto felt him jolt as he choked back a sob.

"Ianto?" he heard Jack mutter weakly.

"I'm here Jack." Ianto whispered. "I'm here."

"Oh God…. I'm such a failure Ianto." Jack muttered, obviously ready to cry.

"No Jack, you're not a failure." Ianto said, gently rocking the older man back and forth, resting his cheek against the side of Jack's head. "You're not a failure. We knew there was something wrong, but we had no idea that the glove was going to turn Suzie into a murderer."

"I should've stopped this last night. I should've said no." Jack whispered.

Ianto said nothing for a moment, he just continued to hold Jack, the sleeve of his suit jacket wet with the man's tears.

"Come on Jack, let's get you out of here for a while." he said after a few minutes.

"I don't want to go for a walk Ianto." Jack said, taking a deep, shaky breath.

"Not a walk. Why don't you come to my flat? I'll make you something to eat and you can try and sleep a bit. You shouldn't stay here right now, especially not alone."

"Tosh and Owen will be here in a few hours." he sighed.

"I used your mobile and sent them messages not to come in today. The rift predictor says it'll be quiet most of the day, and you need some time off. They don't need to find out about Suzie and see you in this state Jack."

Jack said nothing, he just continued to let Ianto hold him.

Ianto sighed, then headed down to Jack's bunker, pulling out a fresh set of clothes, then he headed back up into Jack's office.

"Come on Jack, let's go." he said holding out his hand.

Jack sighed before taking Ianto's hand so that he could help haul the older man to his feet.

After helping Jack into his coat, they left the hub, turning out the lights as they went.

The ride to Ianto's flat was silent an Ianto found himself continuously glancing over at Jack who was just staring out the window. He really had no idea what he was thinking bringing Jack back to his flat, but he hoped that maybe, he would be able to help his friend and bring him back to his usual boisterous self, whatever it took.

.

.

.

A/N: alright, a nice little quick chapter, let me know if you guys liked it!


	9. a cup of coffee and a bit of snooping

A/N: Thanks to everyone that keeps reviewing! You're definitely helping me keep this going!

Disclaimer: I don't have anything to do with Torchwood, obviously.

.

.

.

On the way to Ianto's flat Jack was silent, contemplating what had just happened. He had woken up and found Ianto holding him tightly. It was a wonderful feeling, he just wished it had been under different circumstances. At the same time he was wondering what was going through Ianto's mind about what had happened.

But the silence between them was peaceful as if giving them both time to think. So Jack decided against speaking.

When they arrived at Ianto's flat Jack just quietly followed the young man upstairs.

Ianto removed his coat and put it on the coat rack by the door before helping Jack out of his greatcoat and placing it next to his.

"Go sit down and I'll bring you some coffee." Ianto said softly.

Jack did as he was told an he walked into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. He let out a heavy sigh before looking around and seeing that the flat was now unpacked and looking like it was lived in.

There was now a shelf of DVDs, a small computer desk in the corner with a laptop and a bookshelf covered in books.

He reached out and picked up a photo frame that was sitting on the coffee table of teenaged Ianto with a girl the same age.

'Ianto wore geeky glasses?' he thought to himself with a silent chuckle.

The young Ianto in the picture had a pair of black plastic rimmed glasses and a white polo shirt and a light green tie with a pair of matching braces, a pair of khaki slacks and maroon trainers, and beside him was a girl with purple glasses, a white shirt, rainbow tie and a pink frilled skirt with pink braces and a pair of purple trainers that couldn't hide her rainbow striped knee high socks. Both were grinning at the camera, violins in hand friends around them laughing cheerfully.

"That was my friend Angela." came a voice.

Jack looked up and saw Ianto standing beside him with two mugs of coffee. He looked down at the picture then at Ianto, trying to see his Ianto in those clothes again.

"You really were geeky." he said setting the picture back down.

"Thank you sir." he sighed, handing Jack a mug of coffee.

"What? You were a cute type of geeky." Jack said, and he found himself smiling for the first time since asking Ianto for coffee hours before.

"I didn't dress like that all the time." Ianto said sitting beside him. "I was more of a jeans and t-shirt type of kid."

Jack smiled a little before looking at the mug in his hands and he found himself turning it around to get a good look at it.

The mug was painted bright green on the outside and purple on the inside, covered in paw prints, hearts, and peace signs and it said 'peace love & paws' in big blue letters.

"Is something wrong with your coffee Jack?" Ianto asked.

Jack held up the mug. "Where did you get this?"

"My little sister Tara painted it for me. She's only eight, so be nice." Ianto said sternly.

Jack chuckled softly. "I was just wondering because I figured you didn't paint it."

"No, I didn't paint it." Ianto confirmed. "Do you want something to eat or would you rather go lay down and get some sleep?" he asked.

"Let me finish my coffee first." Jack said with happy sigh after taking a sip.

"Are you okay Jack?" asked Ianto, concern in his voice.

"A bit of a headache, but I'll be alright."

Ianto suddenly got up, startling him.

Jack watched as Ianto went into his bedroom before returning several moments later with two little white tablets.

"Here. Some aspirin should help you with that." said Ianto handing him the pills.

"Thanks Ianto. I appreciate this." he said honestly.

"You're very welcome Jack. But next time, don't shoot yourself in the head again, please?" he sighed. "I remember what it was like trying to die, it's not worth it."

"You tried to kill yourself?" Jack asked softly.

"Yup. I was essentially rescued by my foster family after I was sent to Providence park psychiatric hospital. Anyway, I learned to never try again, you on the other hand….. Well, even if you can't die, that doesn't mean you should keep killing yourself."

Jack sat in silence for a moment as he quietly sipped his coffee.

"Now then, I think you should go get a shower and take a nice long nap, I've got some errands I need to run." said Ianto, looking at his watch before standing up with his mug.

Jack looked up at Ianto, wanting to say that he didn't want to be left alone, but not sure of how to word it.

It was obvious Ianto saw something because he smiled kindly before leaning down and gently kissing Jack's forehead. "I won't be gone for long." he whispered, touching foreheads with Jack. "I've got a quick appointment and I'll be back within' the hour."

"Promise?" Jack asked, suddenly sounding like a small child.

"Promise Jack. I'll even pick up some breakfast on my way back. Now then, the bathroom's in the bedroom on the right. Towels are in the linen closet in the hall, alright?" he said.

"Alright."

Jack watched as Ianto took his mug into the kitchen then grabbed his coat by the door.

"I'll be back in a bit Jack."

Jack just sat still on the couch, cradling the mug of coffee in his hands.

Now what? Jack was sitting alone in Ianto's flat with no idea what to do. He knew he should probably take a shower, he could feel bits of bone and brain in his hair even though he had healed, there was blood all over his shirt, and he knew that the hot water would probably help him relax.

So he stood up and went to the kitchen where he rinsed out the coffee mug before putting it in the dishwasher. Then he looked around the kitchen curious to see a little bit of Ianto's life.

He looked through the cupboards and found a plate that matched the mug that he had been drinking from, he found several foods that seemed like typical Ianto, crackers and traditional Welsh food, but then he found things like Oreo cookies and cheez-its.

"Okay, Ianto likes American junk food apparently." Jack chuckled to himself. He turned to look at the fridge and found two more pictures, one of Ianto hugging a very happy little girl with glasses and a pink tie, and another of an older Ianto with a very pretty young woman in front of Big Ben. After a moment of looking at the pictures he opened the fridge and found everything neat and organized. He picked up a container of food and found it labeled with a date.

The one in Jack's hand had a blue sticky note that said 'kiwi cobbler Oct. 4' In Ianto's need script.

"Wow, stickler for organization." he sighed, putting the container away. He picked up another one that said 'pork cawl Sept. 21st'. Jack just shook his head and put the food away before closing the fridge. Then he picked up the pile of his clothes Ianto had left on the table before grabbing a towel out of the linen closet and finding his way into Ianto's bathroom for a shower.

About a half an hour later Jack found himself feeling much better after a nice warm shower and a clean change of clothes. He found himself wandering around Ianto's flat wearing his slacks, undershirt and socks, too tired to bother with his dark blue shirt and braces.

And he had to admit he felt like snooping a bit. He found a shelf full of photo albums and another full of novels. He looked at Ianto's desk and found several sticky notes stuck to the sides of the monitor. One had the day's date and it said 'Pick up Kit, Cardiff airport, 6:30 A.M.'

Jack turned to see the clock which said it was almost seven. Now he understood why Ianto had asked for the week off. "I wonder who Kit is." he mumbled. Then he went and made a cup of tea before sitting down on the couch and waiting for Ianto to return.

.

.

.

A/N: You leave Jack alone and what does he do? He snoops of course. Anyway, I hope you guys still like this story. keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!


	10. Kit and Tara, need I say more?

A/N: I'm actually on a roll with this story! I'm glad everyone's still enjoying it! And today we get to meet some of Ianto's interesting foster family! Sweet right?

disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. But I can actually say I own Kit and Tara! Whoo!

.

.

.

As Ianto drove to the Cardiff airport he couldn't help but wonder what had possessed him to bring Jack Harkness home with him when he knew he had to pick up his little sister and nephew at the airport.

He had been looking forward to spending a wonderful week with Tara and Kit, rarely visiting the hub, just long enough in the morning and evening to check on Lisa when he could.

But when Ianto saw how broken Jack looked he knew that he couldn't leave the man he had come to consider a good friend alone. He was almost scared to leave Jack alone when he realized he needed to head to the airport.

The look in Jack's eyes, well, it almost broke his heart, the man looked so scared and alone. So Ianto decided to take a motherly approach and try and kiss away some of Jack's worry. It was the least he could do after all of the times during the past several months that Jack had been there for him.

When Ianto had arrived at the terminal, he was glad when he only had to wait ten minutes before he heard two voices happily shouting his name before he had two young children with their arms wrapped around his waist.

Tara was going to turn nine that week and she was as nerdy as Ianto's friend Angela had been. She had a pair of plastic rimmed glasses in black and red, a love of colorful ties and knee high socks. She was always wearing her long black hair in pigtails and she had a love of engineering and computers.

Kit on the other hand was to turn eight the day after Tara's birthday. He was always content in jeans and a t-shirt and he loved sweater vests. His short sandy brown hair was in a cut that mirrored Ianto's, neat and trim with a fluffy bit sticking up in the front.

"Well it's good to finally see you two after all of these months." Ianto said hugging the two back. "How was your flight?"

"We got to stop in Amsterdam!" said Tara excitedly.

"Yeah! We've never been to the Netherlands!" said Kit.

Ianto smiled at them. "How exciting." he said taking their hands. "Now then, I'm sure you two are hungry, and I need to get back home so let's get going."

He had to admit he felt content listening to the two children in his car chatting away happily. They stopped to get breakfast, then they headed on to Ianto's flat.

When they walked into the flat, Ianto felt somewhat panicked when he didn't see Jack in the living room.

"What's wrong Uncle Ianto?" Kit asked, obviously sensing the man's worry.

Ianto rushed into his room and let out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw Jack asleep on his bed. He closed his eyes and smiled a little, glad that Jack was still there.

"Ianto! There's a weird guy in your bed!" Tara whispered loudly.

Ianto opened his eyes to see Tara and Kit kneeling in front of Jack, Kit poking at Jack's nose. "Kit! Stop that!" he said sternly. "You'll wake him!"

But it was too late. Jack was woken up and he let out a cry of surprise when he saw the two children. He sat up and saw Ianto.

"Ianto! There's a couple of weird kids in your flat." he said.

"Uncle Ianto, why's there a strange man in your bed?" Kit asked, repeating Tara's earlier question.

Ianto shook his head with a smile and sat down beside Jack. "This is my friend Jack. Jack, this is my baby sister Tara and my nephew Kit. Say hi guys"

The two waved shyly.

"Not wave. Say 'hello Mr. Harkness.'" he told them.

"Hi Mr. Harkness!" they said in unison.

"hi guys." Jack said with a smile. "So you're part of Ianto's family huh?"

They nodded.

"Are you a friend of Ianto's?" Kit asked.

"I am." Jack said.

"You're the leader of Torchwood three aren't you?" asked Tara.

Ianto was startled, he had never told any of his siblings about Torchwood, and Kit wouldn't of known who was in charge of Torchwood three.

Suddenly Kit growled and began to back away startling Jack.

"Now Kit stop that! He's not going to hurt you." Ianto protested.

"He's Torchwood! I don't trust him!" Kit said.

"I'm still Torchwood and you trust me." Ianto pointed out.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Tara asked.

"Tara how did you even know?" Ianto sighed.

"I kind….. Got curious….. And…. Did a little….. Hacking….." Tara mumbled.

Ianto let out a growl and rubbed his hand over his face. "Tara! What have we told you about hacking? You're going to get into serious trouble doing that one day!"

Before Ianto could say another word, Kit ran out of the room. "Tara, make sure he stay's in the flat." he said sternly.

Tara nodded and left the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and leaving a frustrated Ianto and a bewildered Jack.

"Care to explain why your little sister knows about me and why your nephew began growling when he found out I was Torchwood?" Jack asked.

"Kit was kidnapped off the streets by Torchwood London when they discovered that he was a genius and needless to say they weren't nice to him. He's one of the last survivors of Canary Wharf. Our Auntie Tuyen says he's fine and she's the family doctor, but we really don't know what they did to him. But now he's got trust issues when it comes to anything Torchwood related."

"Obviously." Jack said slowly. "So your nephew is a survivor of Canary Wharf and a victim of Yvonne's evil reign, and your baby sister is a master hacker."

"Basically." Ianto sighed, unsure of what else to say.

"Well now what?" Jack asked.

"Well you can join us for the day, despite everything the two are good at cheering people up." Ianto suggested. "I promised to take them to Cardiff castle."

"I don't know how well that's going to work, your nephew doesn't trust me remember?"

"Well, you're just going to have to try and convince him otherwise." Ianto shrugged. Then he looked up at Jack. "How are you feeling?"

"The shower definitely did me a lot of good." Jack said honestly. "and I noticed you're unnaturally tidy when it comes to your leftovers."

Ianto couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he shook his head. "You snooped through my kitchen."

"I was curious. You sure like Oreos."

"Just be happy I'm not like my Grandpa Jarrod. Go to get some Oreo's in my grandparents house, you'll more then likely open the package to find the cookies, but all of the cream has been eaten out of the middle. That is, unless you're lucky enough to get to the package first."

Jack laughed and Ianto smiled.

Ianto always enjoyed Jack's laughter, it always made his day just a bit brighter.

"So your grandfather eats all of the cream out of the cookies?"

"It's bizarre. My dad said he used to have to keep his own stash hidden in his room so grandpa couldn't get to them. It's Oreo's and ice cream for my grandpa Jarrod. One time I called them in the morning and I heard Grandma Kallie yelling 'Jarrod! No! Put the ice cream away! It's time for breakfast!' Apparently it's a common argument in the Briggs household."

"You're grandfather tries to eat ice cream for breakfast?" Jack asked.

"You usually hear him in the back ground whining 'but Kallie! Ice cream's yummy!' yet the man is a spectacular brain surgeon."

"Your family get's more and more interesting with every story Ianto."

"I wish you could meet them." Ianto said honestly. "No story can amount to actually meeting the family."

"How many family members do you have?" Jack asked.

"I lost count. I think we all did. And don't bother trying to figure out exact relations, your head will spin and it will hurt. But I know I have at least twenty siblings, actually more like thirty now, and about ten nieces and nephews, and as for cousins, I'm well into the hundreds thanks to Uncle Conner, and that's not including the ones that are married with children of their own. I think my cousin Conrad has about fifteen great great grandkids now."

"Wow. That's….. wait… that means he's pretty old."

"He's not much younger then you." Ianto said honestly. Just then he saw Kit peeking in the doorway. "Come here Kit." he said patting the bed beside him.

Kit ran in and hopped into Ianto's lap, and Ianto wrapped his arms around the small boy.

"Hi Kit." said Jack with a kind smile.

Kit whimpered and growled curling up against Ianto.

"I won't hurt you little buddy, I promise." said Jack leaning down to Kit's level.

Kit looked up at Ianto as if asking for confirmation.

"Honest Kit, Torchwood three's nothing like Torchwood one." Ianto said.

Kit looked back at Jack.

"You're uncle told me what they did to you in London, they weren't very nice were they?" Jack asked sincerely.

Kit shook his head.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, they did the same to me a long time ago. When they found out I couldn't die they kinda…. Experimented with me. They weren't very nice about it."

"Then why do you work for them?" Kit asked shyly.

Jack shrugged. "I worked for them on and off. Then I was put in charge of Torchwood three here in Cardiff. We're nothing like London I can assure you. We're just a tiny team and we're much nicer. We even have a pterodactyl as a team pet."

Kit looked at Ianto who smiled and nodded.

"That's how I got my job." Ianto confirmed. "By asking Jack to join me on a pterodactyl hunt. Now Myfanwy's very content with her new home and she get's plenty of treats."

The boy finally smiled and giggled a little. "So… you're not going to hurt me?" he asked Jack slowly.

Jack gently took kit from Ianto and set him in his lap surprising the boy. "I swear it Kit. We would never hurt you. In fact, I want to make sure that Torchwood London didn't do anything to cause permanent damage. I'm sure you're Auntie is a fantastic doctor, but human technology isn't as good as alien technology just yet, so I want our doctor to look at you, is that okay?"

Ianto was quite surprised by what Jack had just suggested. That meant taking Kit into the hub, which was something they'd normally never do.

"Will he poke me?" Kit whimpered.

"I promise Owen won't let a needle get anywhere near you unless something was very seriously wrong. But you appear fine, so you should be okay and he may be a bit smart with us, but there's no way he'd be snarky towards a little guy like you."

"Jack, you're suggesting we take Kit to the hub?" Ianto asked slowly.

"Yup." Jack confirmed. "I just want to make sure that those idiots in London didn't do something to him that humans can't detect. Is that alright with you Ianto?"

"I suppose." Ianto shrugged.

Jack jumped slightly when Kit gently poked his nose. "Hey, what was that for?" he asked with a smile making Kit giggle.

"That's his way of saying he trusts you." Ianto said with a smile.

"Ah, well you know what. Poke to you too." said Jack gently poking the boy's nose.

Ianto was glad that Jack got along well with one of his most temperamental and cautious family members. It meant he would fit in perfectly with the rest of Ianto's family.

"So you're Uncle Ianto's friend?" Kit asked Jack.

"I am."

"Then what were you doin' in his bed?" Kit asked.

"We had a very rough night at work, and I live at work, so Ianto figured I could use a day away. So while he went to pick up you and Tara, I took a nap." Jack explained.

"Ohh." Kit mumbled, then he curled up against Jack's chest and began to purr.

Jack looked down at the boy in curiosity, then at Ianto who just chuckled.

"Kit, you're beginning to sound like your daddy. First you growl, now you purr." Ianto said with a smile.

Kit giggled. "I go rawr like daddy too!"

At that Ianto finally burst out laughing.

It was a family joke with Ianto's brother Alistair.

The man was a gentle giant who could growl and snarl like a bear, but when he played with his children, he went 'Rawr'.

"I don't get it." Jack said, obviously confused.

"Daddy plays dinosaur with Lilly and I, and Lilly and I are the little dinosaurs and we run away from daddy who chases after us going 'I'm a big scary dinosaur I go RAWR!'" Kit said, imitating his father.

Jack laughed. "Does your daddy look like a big scary dinosaur?" he asked.

"Daddy is over eight feet tall and he's got big sharp canines that are like, an inch and a half long!"

"It's true." Ianto confirmed. "Alistair and his son Alan have very large canines. They look like vampires, and snarl like a bear. Anyway, why don't you go join Tara and eat your breakfast, we'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay." said Kit. Then he gave Jack a quick hug before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Well now, that wasn't too hard to gain his trust, was it?" Ianto asked with a smile. "Now, are you going to join us for the day or not?"

"I suppose." Jack said with a heavy sigh.

Ianto was surprised when Jack rested his head on his shoulder. But then he just reached up and began to run his hand through Jack's hair. "Are you sure you're alright Jack." he asked softly.

"Why do you take such good care of us Ianto?" Jack asked curiously.

"Because for a person like me, gaining such good friends outside of my family is a rarity. So the friends I do make, I take very good care of." he admitted leaning against Jack a little. "Especially the ones I'm closest too."

He jumped slightly when Jack wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Thanks Ianto." Jack whispered, tightening his grip slightly.

Ianto hugged the older man around the shoulders and held him close. "You're welcome Jack." he whispered back.

They sat like that for a few moments, but before long Ianto began to get a bit light headed from breathing in Jack's pheromones. He chuckled softly.

"What's so funny?" Jack asked looking up.

"I think we're a bit too close, sir." Ianto said with a tiny grin.

Jack quirked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"You're 51st century pheromones are enough to make this average 21st century human a bit dizzy." he admitted.

"Oh really?" Jack asked with a grin.

"Really." Ianto confirmed.

"So what would happen if I got just a little closer?" Jack asked, doing just that.

"Do you really want to know?" Ianto asked.

"Yeah, I do." Jack said, resting his forehead against Ianto, their noses touching.

Ianto immediately grabbed a bit of Jack's shirt and pulled him against him, till their lips met.

The kiss was soft, slow, and sweet as they gently explored each other's mouths.

After about a minute they parted for air.

"Wow," Ianto whispered, kind of surprised.

Jack chuckled and gently nuzzled Ianto's neck. "Even though you're just an average 21st century guy, you just made me quite dizzy without the help of evolved pheromones." Jack said, somewhat breathlessly.

Ianto laughed quietly. "Really now?"

"Really." Jack confirmed.

"Well as wonderful as that is, we've got two adolescent children waiting for us in the living room. And come to think of it, your breakfast is out there as well. So we should probably get out of here." Ianto said softly.

"Now that you mention it, I am getting quite hungry." Jack admitted sitting up.

So with that, the two men headed out to the living room where they joined Kit and Tara for breakfast.

.

.

.

A/N: alright guys! You know the drill, I give you a chapter, you give me some lovely reviews, and I'll gladly write some more! So in the same fashion as the review NO-PANTIES left: I WROTE! Now get reviewing!' If that doesn't work... don't know... please? Please always works right?


	11. An interesting day out

A/N: alright, chapter eleven. It's a lot longer then the other chapters, sorry about that. But I really wanted to show how Jack connected with Tara and Kit and it took a lot to do that. And I tossed in a few surprises too. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own anything Torchwood related.

.

.

.

Jack had to admit in the beginning, he really wasn't sure about spending the day with Ianto and his adolescent relatives, but as he got to know the two children, he found himself feeling comfortable and content.

Kit had apparently taken quite a liking to him, always sitting on Jack's shoulders as they walked around outside the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

Jack had learned quite a bit about Ianto's family and his life during college from Tara, stories about family members that the two children loved spending time with like Kit's father Alistair, and their Grandpa Ashtor.

Ianto would just sit and listen to the children talk with Jack, or else add just a comment or two depending on the subject.

Jack got the feeling he was trying to gauge just how well his young relatives were getting along with Jack without him getting in their way, and all the while, Jack felt affection for Ianto well up inside him as he got to know more about his personality.

It appeared he was falling for an interesting young man with an intriguing family and he had no idea what to do about it. He'd never fallen so fast for anyone, and nor had any of the landings been as hard when the realization had dawned on him.

But Jack just kept himself occupied by keeping the children entertained.

.

"So, what do you two plan on doing for your birthdays?" Jack asked as they sat at the table in Ianto's flat eating dinner.

He had been surprised to discover that Tara's birthday was just two days away, with Kit's being the day after.

"Uncle Ianto said he'd take us up to Caerphilly. I wanted to go see that castle too." said Kit.

"And for my birthday we're gonna go see the Cardiff university choir and symphony orchestra at the Millennium centre." said Tara with a smile.

"Oh, you like choirs?" Jack asked, somewhat surprised by the children's birthday decisions.

"I love orchestra. I play the violin like Ianto and daddy." she said proudly. "I'm not as good yet, but I'm trying!"

"You're getting very good Tara." said Ianto. "Very impressive for a child your age."

"So you play the violin and you're a computer hacker?" Jack asked her.

Tara blushed.

"Yes and if you get into my archives one more time I'll set up a virus that will fry your laptop." Ianto warned pointing his fork at her.

"Hey! Leave my computer alone! It took me a year to build it!" Tara protested.

"Then maybe you should stop hacking into places you shouldn't. Don't think I didn't hear about you hacking into the Iranian government's nuclear program, or the Navy's personnel files."

Jack almost choked on his pasta.

"You hack into military and government sites?" he asked astonished.

"Yeah. It's not hard, like I hacked into this weird group called UNIT. They really don't like you guys."

"Tara, stay away from them, we don't need them to come kidnap you and keep you in prison for the rest of your life." Ianto said sternly.

"He's right Tara. You should be careful what you get yourself into." said Jack, definitely not wanting to see the precious little girl in a Unit prison. He had felt bad enough with Tosh which was a big part of why he rescued her. "They mess with us enough as it is, we don't need your family to get involved with them."

"Tara, you've gotta stop doing this. It's bad enough that we have assassins in the family." Ianto pointed out.

Jack spit out his pasta and the three starred at him. "Did you just say you have assassins in your family?"

"Uncle Tanner's an assassin." said Kit. "He works for the CIA."

"And our cousin Matt's an underground assassin." said Tara. "With the other weird ones."

"The dysfunctional ones." Ianto sighed. "Tanner's a hyper active tap dancer that's been on Ritalin since he was five, Tommy is a manic depressive suicidal maniac that loves cake, and Kenny has severe OCD and he has to flick a light switch five times after any assassination and God forbid you make him loose count, because then you have to drag him away."

"No offense but, what is wrong with your family?" Jack asked staring.

"We're family." Kit shrugged. "It doesn't matter who or what your family is, as long as they love you and take care of you."

Jack let Kit's words sink in, the boy had a point, family is family as long as they loved you. But that didn't mean a family couldn't be weird.

"Look at it this way." Ianto said, braking into his thoughts. "Only in our family can you find people to relate too about almost everything."

"That is a plus." Tara agreed.

"Almost everything huh?"

"Absolutely." Ianto confirmed.

Jack just chuckled and shook his head. He'd like to see someone that could relate to him any day.

After dinner the two children watched a movie before Ianto got them settled in to sleep on the couch.

Jack watched with a smile as the two yawned and settled down, curling up under their blankets before quickly falling asleep.

"I think the two wore themselves out today." Jack whispered as Ianto stood beside him in the doorway to the bedroom.

"I think you wore them out." Ianto said, with a smile, leaning against him.

Jack just chuckled and shook his head.

It was true that he had run around with the children all day. Literally. After lunch they had gone to the park and Jack had found himself climbing trees and chasing the two around in a vigorous game of tag till the three of them had fallen into the grass laughing and exhausted, Ianto watching them with a smile from a park bench beside them.

Jack had certainly grown attached to the two children that day and he quickly understood why Ianto wanted him to tag along with them. It made him feel so much better.

Of course, in the back of his mind he was still trying to figure out how to tell Tosh and Owen about Suzie, and now he was stuck trying to figure out his feelings for Ianto.

He was surprised when Ianto gently ushered him into the bedroom.

"Let's let the two of them sleep." Ianto said quietly as he shut the door. "And you need sleep too Jack, you have to go back to work in the morning and tell Tosh and Owen about what happened."

"Ianto, you know I don't sleep much." said Jack sitting down on the bed.

"That doesn't mean you don't need to rest."

"And what are you going to do?" Jack asked.

"Go to sleep." Ianto shrugged as if it was obvious.

Jack watched as Ianto went into the bathroom before returning in a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

Then Ianto just climbed under the covers beside Jack and immediately began to doze off.

Jack let out a heavy sigh and took off his blue shirt and braces before laying down beside Ianto on top of the covers.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ianto asked sleepily, rolling over to look at him.

"I was just thinking about something, that's all."

"Obviously. What about?" Ianto asked, gently running a hand through Jack's hair.

Jack found himself putting his arms around Ianto's slender waist, holding the young man tightly. "I was wondering how I was going to tell Tosh and Owen what happened last night." he fibbed. He knew that what he was really thinking of was the young man in his arms and how to figure out his feelings about him.

"Right…." Ianto murmured curling up against Jack's chest. Then, as if voicing Jack's thoughts he asked "Jack, what is this…. With us?"

"That's a very good question Ianto." he said, not letting go of him.

"I mean, if this were just a friendship with an occasional casual shag, that'd be one thing, but I don't think that 'friends with benefits' cuddle, or try and comfort each other the way we do."

"Does it bother you?" Jack asked, curious about Ianto's answer.

"Not really, it just makes me wonder…. A lot I suppose. I mean, I'm quite content," he paused as if contemplating what he had just admitted. "I don't know what your feelings are on the matter though."

"I feel quite content myself." Jack admitted.

"So then….."

"What do we do right?" Jack asked.

"Exactly." Ianto admitted.

Jack sat and thought for a moment. He really had feelings for this young man that had grown over the months they had worked together, he felt an attraction to Ianto that he'd never felt with anyone before and he would love to see where the feelings would take him, he just didn't know how Ianto felt about him.

"I must admit, I feel quite attracted to you." he finally sighed. "I just don't know how you….."

"If I said the feelings were mutual, what would you say?" Ianto asked quietly.

What would he say? Jack almost wanted to jump for joy, but instead he smiled and curled up closer to Ianto. "I'd say I'm lucky, if I could just figure out where to go from here." he admitted. They sat in silence for a moment, neither speaking, both of them just listening as their hearts beat against the other's in sync with one another. Then he got an idea, a bit odd for him but an idea none the less. "What are you doing with the little ones tomorrow night?" he asked.

Ianto looked up at him, confusion on his face.

"I'm dropping them off at my sister's tomorrow. They're going to have a sleep over with David and Mica since they're all around the same age."

"What time do you plan on dropping them off?" he asked.

"Around six, why?"

"Well, if the rift is as quiet tomorrow as it was today, how about dinner? You and me?" he asked somewhat nervous.

Ianto stared at him. "Dinner? As in… are you asking me out?" he asked slowly.

"I guess that's the simple way to put it." Jack agreed.

"Well…. I… I guess." Ianto shrugged. "Needless to say I've never been on a date with a man before, but…." Ianto paused and took a deep breath. "Why not?"

"Good, then we'll meet at the plass around six thirty." he said, thrilled that the young man had agreed.

"I honestly didn't know you did dates Jack."

"I don't normally. But then again, this really doesn't feel like a normal relationship does it?" he asked.

Ianto chuckled and kissed jack on the cheek. "No, I suppose it's not." he agreed.

Jack smiled and kissed Ianto on the lips, but he was somewhat surprised when Ianto pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

The two kissed passionately for several minutes but as Jack was about to reach under Ianto's shirt, the young man stopped him.

"As much as I'd love to see where this is going Jack, we have two little ones in the next room, and the only bathroom is in here. We don't need one of them to wake up in the middle of the night and find us in a compromising position." Ianto said breathlessly.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose your right." he sighed.

Sure enough, as if on cue, there was a quiet knock on the door and Kit peeked in.

"What's wrong Kit?" Ianto asked softly as they sat up.

"I had a bad dream uncle Ianto." Kit whispered.

"Well, why don't you come here and talk about it Kit?" Jack asked.

Kit walked over and hopped into Jack's lap.

"So, what did you have a bad dream about huh?" Jack asked softly.

"I had a really bad dream about daleks and cybermen!" the little boy said. "Like, I managed to get away from the cybermen but then the big scary black dalek came after me saying he was gonna exterminate me and…. And, he got almost got me! Then I woke up." he said shyly, looking down at his lap.

Jack and Ianto glanced at each other somewhat worried.

This boy really had been there for Canary Wharf, and he obviously came out fairly scarred from the incident.

"It's alright Kit." said Jack gently running a hand through Kit's hair. "No cybermen or Daleks here. The doctor sent them back into the void after the battle remember?"

"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm not still scared of them." Kit protested.

"I know. Trust me kiddo, I know." he agreed. "I'm still scared of daleks."

Kit looked at him, wide eyed in curiosity. "Why are you scared of Daleks? You can't die!"

"That doesn't mean I don't get scared of things. The first time I ever died, a Dalek killed me." Jack admitted. "And it was one of the scariest moments of my life."

" 'Ow'd he kill ya? Did it do that weird brain scan thingy or did it shoot you?" Kit asked softly.

Jack grimaced. "I didn't know they could scan peoples brains. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I was shot instead."

"That's how they killed Dr. Singh." said Kit. "I think now there's only about ten of us out of the twenty eight that survived."

"Technically speaking Kit, they didn't count you. Little Khristopher Khristopherson is among the dead remember?" Ianto said softly.

"Oh yeah. So… I'm a dead kid?" Kit asked.

"How'd you manage to get records in another country then?" Jack asked curiously.

"My mother has friends in the new identities department of the CIA." said Ianto.

"The new identities department? Seriously?"

"It's real, they just don't mention it." said Kit.

"There's only about five people that work in it. And they're really quite odd." said Ianto. "But they are very good at making up cover stories."

"Well now I know where you get your skills from."

"Why are Daleks so dangerous?" Kit asked suddenly.

"Umm, because they kill people." Jack pointed out.

"But I don't get it, why do they look so stupid?" he asked. "They look like a rejected trash can with a whisk and a plunger. Why is a lame trash can so dangerous?"

Jack actually found himself chuckling. "You know, you've got a point Kit. They do look pretty dumb for something so dangerous don't they?"

"Have you ever seen what's inside a Dalek?"

"No. Why?" he asked wondering what the little boy was talking about.

"They're just a dumb little alien that looks like a funky octopus. A dumb little octopus like alien in a trash can and they're dangerous enough that they can destroy the cybermen."

"How did you see what a dalek looked like on the inside?" Jack asked curiously.

"Cause I saw what was left of one after a cyberman destroyed it."

"Then you've got more knowledge on the daleks then Torchwood Kit." Jack said. "No one else I know, actually knows what a dalek looks like on the inside."

Kit finally smiled a bit.

"Anyway, are you ready to try and go back to sleep?" Ianto asked Kit, gently tugging the boy's sleeve.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go back to sleep." said Kit with a nod. "Thanks for talking to me guys. Goodnight."

Jack and Ianto said good night and watched as Kit left the room.

"Well, you handled that well." Ianto said with a smile. "You'd actually make a good dad someday,"

"The sad thing is it took me over a hundred years to get to this point, and even then, there are times that I'm just as immature as any child." he said with a laugh.

Ianto chuckled, then leaned in and gave Jack a gentle kiss on the lips. "Let's go to sleep Jack, it's getting late."

Jack just smiled and hugged Ianto before laying down with him. Before long he found himself comfortably drifting off to sleep.

.

Several hours later Jack awoke with mixed feelings about the day. He was somewhat upset because he knew today he would have to tell Tosh and Owen about what had happened with Suzie. But at the same time he was a bit excited, because he had done something unusual for him. He had asked Ianto Jones out on a date and Ianto had said yes.

He looked down at the young man beside him and smiled. Normally he'd never let someone get so close to him, but something about Ianto had gotten to him, had gotten under his skin and into his heart.

After a moment Jack sighed and got up, gently moving Ianto's head which was resting on his arm. He smiled when Ianto curled up against his pillow.

Ianto really was adorable when he was peacefully asleep.

After a moment he headed into the bathroom to get ready for work. It take him long since all he had to do was put on his shirt and braces, but as he was using his fingers to comb through his hair there was a quiet knock on the bathroom door.

"Jack? Are you almost done? I kinda gotta go!" Tara whispered through the door urgently.

Jack chuckled and walked out of the bathroom. "All yours Tara."

"Thank you!" she said.

Next thing Jack knew the door was closed. He chuckled and shook his head before walking out into the living room where Kit was still sleeping on the couch with the blanket pulled tightly around him. He had no idea how but the two children had gotten into his heart just as quickly as Ianto had. He was going to miss them when they headed home.

Jack then saw Tara's laptop open on the table.

It was quite advanced for such a young child, and impressive if Tara really did build it herself. What she had been working on though showed something quite surprising. Complicated molecular formulas and models filled the screen.

"Hey! Snooper!" came a voice from behind him.

Jack turned to see Tara smiling at him. "And what exactly are you working on?"

"I was helping my brother Niles with his latest Chemistry project."

"Is your brother studying advanced bio chemistry in college?" Jack asked.

"No, he's trying to figure out a formula to help Aldair stop drooling. Because of his drool no one will share a bed with him anymore." Tara shrugged.

Jack just arched an eye brow at her. "So Niles studies this for the heck of it?"

"It's not like Niles can go to college, he's only ten." said Tara as if it was obvious. "His last great achievement was that he made Miss Sapphire's fur hypoallergenic. It took him four months to develop but he did it."

"What's Miss Sapphire? A bunny?"

"No, she's a tiger. Gosh, don't you know anything about us?" Tara asked. "So, you going to work?"

"Yes…." he said slowly totally perplexed by the young girl.

"Can I go with you?"

Jack was somewhat startled by the question. "Why would you want to go?"

"I want to see where Ianto works." she said innocently.

"Yeah. Sorry, but knowing what you can do makes me a little weary about that answer." he said.

"Okay, I just wanna talk, that's all." she admitted. "Can I come? Please?"

"Let me see what Ianto says." said Jack, then he headed back into the bedroom and gently shook Ianto awake.

"Morning already?" Ianto grumbled.

Jack chuckled softly and gently kissed Ianto's forehead. "Morning already." he confirmed. "I've got to go. Tosh and Owen will be in soon."

"How are you getting to work? You don't have the SUV." Ianto said, as if just realizing the fact.

"I'll take a cab."

"Okay." Ianto said with a tiny yawn.

Jack just smiled and gently ran a hand through Ianto's hair which looked a bit fluffier then usual. "By the way, Tara wanted me to ask if she could come with me."

"Oh no." Ianto mumbled. "That means she wants to talk to you."

"Is that a bad thing?" Jack asked, sitting down beside him.

"Don't underestimate Tara just because she's small. She's really very overprotective."

"Oh, so she wants to make sure that I take good care of her big brother huh?" he said, suddenly realizing.

"Yup."

"What happens if she decides I'm not good enough?"

"While I don't think that's going to happen, if it ever did, she's likely to call our older brothers who are more overprotective then a guard dog. If they're willing to travel cross country to go after someone that hurt one of our siblings, I don't doubt that they'd hop on a flight to cross the ocean, and they're not exactly diplomatic about it. Most of my siblings are the kind where you make one of the other's cry and you'll find yourself with a bloody nose."

"Geez, I'll keep that in mind." Jack muttered, not wanting to cross Ianto's older family members.

"Anyway, you can take Tara with you as long as you keep an eye on her, don't let her near the archives, or the computers for that matter, and introduce her to Tosh. I think the two will get along wonderfully."

"Alright, I'll be sure to do that. Is there any paperwork you need me to start?" he asked.

"Not that I can remember, but I'm sure I'll find something for you to do. Are you sure you don't want me to get up and drive?" Ianto yawned.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "You look like you could use a bit more sleep, and Kit's very content right now. I'll take Tara with me and I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Okay." Ianto sighed contently, curling his arms around his pillow. "See you in a couple of hours."

Jack leaned down and gave Ianto a gentle kiss before getting up and walking out of the room.

"So, can I go? Can I, can I, can I?" Tara asked as Jack closed the bedroom door.

"Yes you can come with me." he said with a tiny smile. "But your brother said stay away from the archives, the computers and your not allowed out of my sight."

"Got it." she said with a smile.

"And please don't send your older brothers after me."

"Ianto didn't say that." she said.

"No, but he warned me what could happen if you suddenly didn't like me."

Tara giggled. "I like you just fine." she said. Then she went and grabbed her clothes before heading into the bathroom.

After a few minutes Tara came out and Jack chuckled. "You're quite the nerd aren't you Tara?" he asked seeing her.

Tara was wearing a frilly skirt with a pair of purple braces and a purple and white checkered tie with matching stockings and hot pink trainers.

"Yeah, I'm a nerd, what of it? It just means I'm smart and I look good in corrective lenses." she said with a smile as she closed he laptop and put it in a bag. "And I learned my nerdy style from the best. Ianto's friend Angela."

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "Well there's nothing wrong with being geeky." he said. "Now are you ready? We have to go catch a cab."

"All ready." she said grabbing her coat and scarf, "let's go."

Jack just smiled and grabbed his coat before following Tara out the door.

The cab ride had been interesting as the two talked about everyday things, and more things along the lines like magic and aliens.

"So tell me, why does Aldair need help with a drooling problem?" Jack asked after they grabbed themselves some breakfast.

"He needs help because he's got that nasty thick drool that actually makes your pillow stick to your head when you sit up."

Jack paused as he took a sip of his coffee. "What is Aldair again?"

"He's a very odd anteater." she said, munching on a muffin as they walked across the plass.

"Must be." said Jack as he walked towards the water tower.

"So, how do we get in?" Tara asked.

Jack smiled and took her hand, "We'll use the invisible lift. It's the fun way to get into the hub." he said leading her over to the stone. He pressed the button on his wrist strap to lower the lift and Tara grabbed onto his coat when they started to move making him chuckle. "Welcome to Torchwood three Tara."

Tara looked around in awe, keeping a tight grip on Jack's arm. "Oh wow!" she whispered. "It's amazing!"

Jack smiled and helped her off the platform before walking over to the cog door and turning on the lights.

"You live in here?" Tara asked, walking over to him. Then she paused. "Is…. Is that a hand? In a jar?"

"Yup, that's a hand in a jar." he confirmed.

Tara just stared at it. "It's a hand in a jar." she repeated. "You're weird."

"I'm weird? I'm not helping a ten year old chemistry whiz figure out how to stop an anteater from drooling." he laughed. "Come on Tara, why don't you come sit in my office with me?"

Tara followed him into the office and hopped into one of the chairs in front of his desk making herself comfortable as he hung up his coat.

"So you and my brother are really good friends huh?" she asked opening her laptop.

Jack paused for a moment.

Ianto was right, it was the dreaded overprotective sibling talk.

"Yeah, why?" he asked sitting down.

"Just curious." she shrugged. "So what's this thing on your desk, it looks like an odd piece of coral."

"It's a piece of Tardis coral. In about six thousand years, I'll be able to carve a time machine out of it." he said with a smile.

"That's a long time to wait." Tara said.

"I've got a long time to live sweetheart." he admitted.

Just then, the hub alarm sounded and he saw Tosh and Owen walk in together.

"Mornin' boss!" Owen called.

"Morning Jack!" Tosh said walking to the office, but she stopped when she saw Tara. "We're recruiting children now?"

"Of course not." Jack said. "This is Ianto's little sister Tara. Tara, this is Miss Toshiko Sato."

"Hi miss Sato." said Tara smiling at Tosh.

"And Tara, Ianto said something about apologizing to Tosh?"

Suddenly Tara turned bright red and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry I almost destroyed your computer system last month Miss Sato." she mumbled embarrassed.

"Are you telling me you were the hacker?" Tosh asked disbelievingly.

"I was just curious, honest. I didn't mean to stir up trouble. But I hacked into my daddy's computer and used it to hack into your archives. I didn't realize that daddy's computer was strong enough to destroy your computer. Really I didn't." she said honestly. "I was just so used to using my simple computer to hack into the CIA and FBI that when it couldn't hack into yours I got curious, so I used my daddy's computer and it was made for hacking, I just didn't realize that if I didn't time things right it'd destroy everything."

"You hack into the CIA and FBI?" Tosh asked.

"According to Ianto she's the family hacker." Jack said, actually somewhat amazed by Tara's confession.

"How old are you?" Tosh asked her.

"I turn nine tomorrow."

"And you're that good?"

"I'm good enough." she shrugged.

"Hey Jack, where's Suzie and the tea boy?" Owen asked walking in. "And who's the shrimp."

They were all surprised when Tara growled threateningly.

"Why do the children in your family growl?" Jack asked with a sigh remembering when Kit growled at him the day before.

"It's habit." Tara muttered. "And don't call me a shrimp!"

"Alright, I apologize." said Owen holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"So where are Suzie and Ianto?"

"Ianto will be here in a bit. Suzie…." Jack paused unsure of how to word it. Not sure of what to say. "It turned out Suzie was the murderer. She took her own life the other night." he said softly.

Tosh and Owen stood silent in the doorway.

"Now do you see why I wanted her to stop using the glove?" Jack asked. "Look at what happened to Suzie. It drove her to the point that she became a murderer. We should never have messed with resurrection, it's a dangerous thing and now I hope we've all learned our lesson on this."

"And to think we supported her in this matter." said Tosh softly. "We're sorry Jack."

"Her body's in the morgue yeah?" Owen asked.

"Yes, but I don't think you need to do an autopsy Owen." said Jack. "There's something a little more important that I want you to focus on today."

"and what's that?"

"Ianto's nephew Kit. He's bringing him in later. I want you to check the kid out Owen. Kit was rescued from Torchwood London. Apparently they kidnapped him off the streets and experimented with him because he's some super genius. His Aunt says he's okay, but I want you to scan him for other things just to make sure."

"Torchwood London experimented on children?" Owen scoffed in disgust. "How low can you get?"

"Well from what I hear it was only him, but still."

"I'll give the kid a thorough check up." Owen confirmed.

"And I promised you won't use any needles unless absolutely necessary." Jack pointed out.

"Wouldn't dream of it. When they get in, just send them down to the autopsy bay." he said, then he headed downstairs.

Jack turned to ask Tosh something just to see her and Tara already chatting away at her station, looking at whatever was on Tara's computer. He smiled as he stood up and walked over to them.

"Wow, Ianto wasn't kidding when he said you two would get along wonderfully."

Tosh and Tara smiled at him.

"Tara's as good as me Jack." said Tosh excitedly.

"And Miss Sato actually understands what I'm talking about!" said Tara with equal excitement.

Jack just chuckled. "Well then I'll leave you two girls to whatever your working on, just remember what your brother said Tara."

"Got it!" said Tara.

So Jack went back to his office, keeping an eye on the main area as he began some paperwork for the day.

.

.

.

A/N: okay, so now we've got Tara in the hub and Jack and Ianto going out on a date. If you guys like it, let me know and I'll start writing up the next chapter! I appreciate everyone's reviews! Thanks guys!


	12. Ianto's decision

A/N: okay I decided I had to get this chapter posted before I headed into work today. I put a bit of a twist in here so I hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing torchwood... sigh

.

.

.

"Uncle Ianto! Uncle Ianto!" came Kit's urgent voice, waking Ianto.

"What is it Kit?" he asked groggily.

"Tara's gone! And so's Mr. Harkness!" he said panicking.

"Tara asked if she could go with Jack this morning since we'll be meeting them." Ianto explained.

Kit let out a heavy sigh. "Phew! I was worried!" he said. "So Tara wanted to have the overprotective sibling talk huh?"

"It appears that way." Ianto confirmed, gently ruffling Kit's hair. "Now then, since we're both up, why don't you go get dressed and we'll go grab ourselves some breakfast on out way to the hub?"

"Okay." said Kit, then he hopped down and left the bedroom.

Ianto sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. Was he really falling head over heals for Captain Jack Harkness? Why was he even bothering asking himself.

"You already fell Ianto." he told himself softly. He couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if he had never kissed Jack Harkness that night after the pterodactyl hunt.

Would their friendship be as wonderful as it was? Would he be as content as he had been since he had joined Torchwood three?

Ianto sighed and got out of his bed. He couldn't help but notice that the scent of Jack's pheromones still lingered on the blanket he had been laying on. His thoughts continuously drifting to Jack.

Jack had been wonderful with Kit and Tara. Kit had quickly come to trust the man which was impressive considering.

Ianto had stood aside and let Jack get to know his little sister and nephew and he was glad that he did. In the end Jack had been smiling and Kit and Tara were happy.

Then Jack went and asked him out on a date.

"I wonder how this'll turn out." he sighed as he began to get dressed.

After the two of them had gotten ready they headed to the bay and Ianto took Kit into the tourist office.

"Your cover story's a tourist office?" Kit asked as Ianto pushed the button behind the desk.

"We're more underground." Ianto said leading Kit into the stone hallway.

Kit just followed obediently holding Ianto's hand.

"We're not as fancy as Torchwood London was either." Ianto said. "So it's a bit interesting in here."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." said Kit as they got on the lift.

When they arrived in the hub Ianto couldn't help but notice Tosh and Tara happily working together. "I knew you two would get along well." he said, walking up the steps with Kit hiding behind.

"We're having fun working on new security protocols ." said Tosh smiling.

Ianto couldn't help but smile.

"And this little guy behind you must be Kit." she said, seeing the boy.

Ianto gently nudged Kit forward.

"It's okay Kit, Miss. Tosh is really nice." said Tara.

"H…hi Miss Tosh." said Kit shyly.

"Hi there handsome." she said kindly. "Tara was telling me all sorts of things about you."

Kit smiled shyly, a pink tinge on his cheeks.

"Aren't you adorable." Tosh said with a smile making him blush and Tara giggle.

"So where's Jack?" Ianto asked.

"Sitting in his office. He told us about Suzie. Can you believe it?"

"I can. In my family we know better then to mess with life and death." Ianto said honestly.

"Tara told me the story of your Uncle Conner." Tosh admitted.

"I told Jack about him after the four of you argued." Ianto said. "Anyway, we'll leave you girls to work on whatever it was you were doing. Come along Kit."

Kit followed Ianto across the main room before running into Jack's office and jumping into the man's lap.

Ianto smiled, Jack was wonderful with Kit and the two got along quite well.

"Hey there buddy. We were wondering when you were going to get here." said Jack as Ianto walked into the office.

"I got really scared when I got up, cause not only were you gone, so was Tara! I was worried!" Kit said.

"I'm sorry Kit. Tara just wanted to tag along I guess." Jack shrugged.

"So how bad was it?" Ianto asked with a grin.

"Not too bad. She pretty much just asked really random questions about really random things."

"That's how she gets to ya." Kit warned with a whisper and a smile.

"Ah. I'll keep that in mind." said Jack, gently poking Kit's nose with a grin. "Anyway, our good doctor is waiting for you. And he promised no needles."

"Okay." said Kit quietly.

"Where is Owen?"

"Down in the autopsy bay." said Jack, setting Kit on the ground and standing up. "So let's go say hello shall we?"

Kit took Jack's hand and Ianto followed them out the door and to the autopsy bay where Owen was working on his computer.

"I'm guessing you'd like a cup of coffee Owen?" Ianto asked breaking into Owen's thoughts.

"Of course I would. I was wondering when you were gonna get here tea-boy. I thought I was gonna have to try and make it to lunch."

Ianto just rolled his eyes. "You'd never last. You'd be out the door and at the coffee shop before you'd try and survive till lunch without coffee."

"So true tea-boy. So true." Owen admitted.

"Hey! That's what they call daddy's Junior officer!" Kit giggled. "Lieutenant Velasquez! They call him Tea-boy too."

"Do they now?" Jack asked.

"It's because he reminds them of Ianto." Kit pointed out.

"For good reason." Ianto said, really not caring to reveal why at the moment. "Anyway, you're going to take care of Kit, Owen?"

"Of course I am." said Owen. "Just because I get snarky with you lot, that doesn't mean I'm gonna do the same for our little friend." Owen pulled out another chair and patted the seat. "Come and take a seat Kit, I've got some questions I gotta ask you."

Kit looked up and Ianto and Jack.

"Go on Kit, you'll be alright." said Ianto.

Kit let go of Jack's hand and went to go sit with Owen.

As the two began talking, Ianto headed into the kitchen, Jack following behind.

"You were right when you said Tara and Tosh would get along." Jack said as Ianto began making coffee.

"Two computer geniuses who just want the world to see that they're special. It's like they were made to be best friends." Ianto admitted, becoming immersed in his daily routine.

"Are you alright Ianto? You seem kind of distant." said Jack. "Are you still alright with tonight?"

Ianto finally paused in the middle of what he was doing and he smiled at Jack. He could feel Jack's insecurity, as if worried that he'd done the wrong thing. "I'm fine Jack. Just, lost in thought. I do that a lot."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Everything." Ianto shrugged as he continued making coffee. "I've had a lot on my mind these last few days."

"Alright, if you say so." Jack shrugged as Ianto made hot chocolate for the children. "You know you can always talk to me, right Ianto?"

"Yes I know." he said. "But this is something I have to deal with on my own Jack. That's all."

He really wanted to tell Jack about Lisa in the archives. Desperately wanted to ask Jack for help, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. So he kept to his motions.

Jack followed him out of the kitchen, obviously not convinced that Ianto was okay as he handed Tosh her coffee and Tara a hot chocolate for which he had received a kiss on the cheek. Then he made sure Owen had his caffeine fix while Kit had something to warm him up. After that Ianto went and sat down in Jack's office as Jack took a seat.

"Would you like me to get started on Gwen Cooper's personnel file today sir?" he asked.

"Sir again Ianto?" Jack sighed. "You usually only get that way when you've got too much on your mind and you try to be professional about it. Are you sure your okay with tonight?"

"I'm fine about it Jack." he said honestly, and it was true, he was. He was actually rather excited. He just had other things on his mind. He and Kit had been talking about times with Lisa on their way to the hub, and it put him in a bit of a gloomy mood. "Like I said, it's just something I have to deal with on my own."

Suddenly they heard a high pitched squeal come from the autopsy bay and they both jumped up and ran out of the office to find Tara and Tosh smiling and it was then that they heard Kit's laughter.

They looked into the autopsy bay and saw Kit on the examination table, Owen standing next to him.

"Well your tummy appears just fine judging by how ticklish you are!" Owen said with a smile, tickling the boy's sides and getting more high pitched shrieks of laughter as Kit kicked and squirmed to get away.

Ianto smiled with relief.

"You scared us Kit! We thought Owen was scaring you!" Ianto sighed shaking his head.

"He was ticklin' me Uncle Ianto!" Kit giggled.

"I've never seen a kid this ticklish. One poke to the belly and he's laughin' himself silly." said Owen with a smile.

Ianto just smiled before turning away from the autopsy bay. "I'm going to work in the archives for a bit." he said.

Jack headed into his office, obviously understanding that Ianto wanted to be alone for a little bit.

Ianto was thankful for the reprieve. Then he headed down to the archives and into Lisa's room where he sat down and began to read to her, like he had every day for the last several months.

After reading several chapters he put down the book and just began talking about random things. Like what was going on in the world, and about Owen checking on Kit.

"Jack Harkness asked me out on a date Lisa, can you believe it?" he finally whispered. "And I said yes. I can just imagine how my sister Rhiannon's going to react to this. But maybe it's time I went back to being open with myself like I used to be."

Ianto paused and leaned back in the chair. "Maybe if I admitted things to myself, I wouldn't feel like I was ready to shatter again. It's been such a long six months since Canary Wharf. Jack's been there for me every step of the way. I've wanted to tell him about you. I've wondered if maybe he could help us, but then I clam up and end up not asking. I just don't know what to do anymore Lisa."

After nearly ten minutes of silence, Ianto stood up, and left, heading to his desk in his archives where he just sat in his chair, in silence.

"Ianto? Hey Ianto!"

"I'm over here Jack." Ianto called.

Jack walked over and stood beside him. "Are you alright? Kit said he felt something was wrong with you."

Ianto felt the urge to laugh at the irony. It was like the tables had suddenly been reversed on the two of them. Just last night Ianto had been asking Jack if he was okay, now it was the other way around.

"Ianto?" Jack asked again.

But Ianto hardly heard him, he seemed to be closing in on himself to the point that he couldn't focus on reality. Everything was going dark, and the last thing he saw was the fear on Jack's face before he slipped out of his chair and into the darkness.

.

When Ianto finally awoke, he opened his eyes just to be blinded by lights above him.

"Hey there tea boy. You okay?" came Owen's concerned voice.

It was then that Ianto realized that he was now on the examination table in the autopsy bay. "What happened?" he mumbled, trying to shut his eyes against the harsh light. He could feel a migraine nagging at the back of his head and it was getting excruciatingly painful.

Owen must've noticed because suddenly the light had been turned off. "You gave us quite a scare. Here I was getting' your nephew to laugh and next thing we know, Jack's callin' for help trying to get you up out of the archives."

Ianto let out a heavy sigh as he sat up, making his head spin.

"Why don't you lie back down mate?" Owen asked.

"I'm fine Owen, it's just a really bad headache." he grumbled.

"Well, hold on then." Owen said moving to the medicine locker. He took out an orange bottle of pills. "Extra strength pain reliever that get's rid of the worst headaches."

Ianto obediently took the medication, and was surprised as his headache began to slowly ebb away.

"There now, better?" Owen asked.

"Much, thank you Owen." He looked around and noticed the they were the only ones in the hub. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Tosh and I convinced Jack to take her and the little one's to pick up lunch so the three of them don't get too worried. Figures you woke up about three minutes after they left." Owen shrugged. "Anyway, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with you, it just seems you went into total shut down for a bit."

Ianto just nodded. He knew what was happening. It had happened a few times before in his life. Like when he had first arrived with his family. For a while he had been like Kit, hardly every speaking, and keeping his emotions, his pain bottled up to the point that he began blacking out.

The only thing he could do was talk to someone about what was going on, but he knew that there was only one person he could talk to that would help alleviate the pain and guilt, and that was Jack.

"I'll be alright Owen." he said, standing up. His legs were slightly wobbly as he grasped the side of the autopsy table for a moment. When he was content that his legs wouldn't give and collapse beneath him he said, "I'll be back in a few minutes Owen. I need to go make a phone call."

"Just don't wander too far away tea boy, you hear me? Don't need you fallin' down some stairs or something." Owen warned, obviously trying to get Ianto to banter with him a bit.

But Ianto didn't feel like it. "I won't." he promised. Then he grabbed his coat and walked out the cog door.

When Ianto got out to the pier, he took a seat on the bench that he had sat on, waiting for Jack all those months ago when he was still trying to get into Torchwood three. He then pulled out his mobile and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Ianto, I was just about to try and call you." a smooth British accent said.

"Hi Alistair." he said quietly.

"Are you alright Ianto?" Alistair asked kindly. "I heard something was wrong with you today."

"Who said?" he asked, looking out at the water.

"Gareth said he felt something was wrong with you, then Kit called and said you had passed out in the archives."

"It's…. a long story." he admitted.

"I'm sure it is, care to explain why you took Kit with you today?" he asked.

Ianto could hear a slight tinge of annoyance in his older brother's voice.

Alistair had despised Torchwood for more years then Ianto could know, he knew he probably wouldn't be too thrilled with Ianto's agreement to let Owen check the boy out.

"Jack wanted to make sure Torchwood London didn't do anything to Kit that normal medical technology couldn't detect." he admitted.

"Well according to your medic Kit has a clean bill of health, and from what I hear, a very ticklish tummy." Alistair's voice appeared to have lightened up a bit.

"Owen may be snarky with most of us, but he would never be that way towards children. He made sure he kept Kit smiling and comfortable."

"I heard Tara's found a friend too."

"Tosh, she's our computer genius."

"Well that's good for Tara, and great that Kit was feeling comfortable around them. Anyway, I'm sure you wanted to talk about something?"

"Yeah, are you busy?" Ianto asked.

"Not really. Why?"

"Can you do me a favor? I'm curious about what happened to someone that I think died at Canary Wharf."

Alistair was silent for a moment. "I'd be glad to help you Ianto." he said sincerely.

Ianto sat in silence as he stared out at the water again. He needed to know if who he was keeping alive was really Lisa, or not. If not, it wasn't worth the effort and the chance that he might upset Jack to the point that he was retconed and out on the street, especially not when he found himself growing so attached to the man.

Alistair was the perfect person to go to, in order to see if Ianto was wasting his time. The man was very special, and another reason why you didn't mess with mortality in the family. He was a giant because he wasn't human, Lucifer's special creation with God's intervention. The king of the lower demons of Hell and the Master of Dark souls, a demon with a human heart and a human soul. He took dark souls or else worked with the archangels when the death tolls reached a hundred. Alistair used a book of souls with a soul of it's own named Angelica that could access any record in the Archangel Michael's archives.

Including Lisa's if she really was dead.

"What's the person's name?" Alistair asked, breaking into Ianto's thoughts.

"Lisa Hallett."

"I don't even have to ask Angelica about that one. I took her Ianto." said Alistair softly. "That's why I was in London. She was very worried about you. Told me to take care of you after I sent her off."

Ianto suddenly felt like the dam that kept his emotions in check was ready to burst.

"That's why I made you come home the next day. Lisa asked me to keep an eye on you for a while." Alistair continued.

Ianto sucked in a deep breath trying to figure out what he was going to do now. "Thanks Alistair." he all but whispered. "I was just curious."

"Alright Ianto. I better get back to work then. Cheer up a bit okay? We all hate to see you upset."

"I'll do my best. Bye Alistair."

After one last good bye Ianto hung up his phone and starred off into space. He now knew that he wasn't taking care of Lisa. Just what was left of her body, and with that he steeled his resolve. He was going to tell Jack, no choice about it. He was going to make himself. So he stood up and went back to the hub and down to the archives till the others returned with lunch.

.

.

.

A/N: Ianto has decided to tell Jack about the cyberman in the basement? I wonder how this will turn out. Thanks for all the reviews guys! Your keeping me writing!


	13. the twist you've all been waiting for!

A/N: And now for the twist everyone's been waiting for! Dun, dun dun! How did I write it? Was it was you were hoping for? Well you gotta read to find out! Enjoy! Oh, and for those of you wondering, Ianto's family actually came from my own story that I'd been working on. I just figured he'd fit in well with them all. By the way, I'm sorry if I've got any spelling errors anywhere, I was writing this at five in the morning for my faithful readers. I'll fix them tonight after I get off of work if there are any.

Disclaimer: I don't own torchwood and I'm too sleepy to think up a snarky comment to go with it...

.

.

.

"Is Uncle Ianto going to be okay Mr. Harkness?" Kit asked as the two waited outside the restaurant while Tosh and Tara retrieved the food.

"I hope so Kit." said Jack picking up the boy.

"I was kinda worried about him. He bottles everything up a lot. Daddy said he used to do this when grandma and grandpa first adopted him."

Jack was quite surprised at two revelations at once.

The first was that Ianto had done this before, blacking out when he let his emotions become too overwhelming. The second was that he only said he was a foster child. Not an adoptee. It made him wonder what else Ianto had been hiding because it was obvious that Jones what not his adoption family's name.

"Kit, if your uncle was adopted, does that mean that he took your family's name? Wouldn't he go by Berkenbridge?" he asked.

Kit giggled a little. "He wasn't adopted by my daddy. My daddy's what they call surrogates in the family. He's a brother, but he wasn't actually adopted cause he was too old. That's why my daddy's name is Berkenbridge. Uncle Ianto's name is Midnightstarlight. Funny I know, but it comes from Uncle Malachai, and they just go by Midnightstar."

Jack stared for a moment. "So Ianto's name isn't Ianto Jones?"

"Jones was his biological family. He once told me he started using that name again so Miss Hartman wouldn't find out about the family and do what they did to me, to kids like Tara." Kit explained.

"Ianto Midnightstarlight? That's quite a name."

"That's Tara's name." Kit pointed out.

Jack was about to say something when he paused. It was then that he realized that he was learning a lot about Tara, but while he was told Kit's last name, he hadn't known Tara's. He just assumed they were all Berkenbridge.

"So, anyway, back to what caused your uncle to black out on me…." he said, changing the subject.

"Uncle Ianto's an empath. I think I kinda gave him an emotional overload today." Kit mumbled turning red with embarrassment.

This was also new to Jack. Ianto being able to feel other's emotions? Well, at least now he knew why Ianto could read him so well. In all honesty he would normally be somewhat disturbed about it, but instead, he felt a bit comfortable about it.

"What do you mean you gave him an emotional overload?" Jack asked.

"I'm one too, but I'm a lot stronger." Kit admitted. "And in the car we were remembering Miss Lisa. Uncle Ianto's best friend from London. She used to help take care of me, and she died in the battle. We were talking about her and I know he got sad, but so did I, and then I guess he felt a bit of everyone else's pain because Mr. Harper and Miss. Tosh were kinda sad today too. You all feel better because he takes away some of the emotional pain to help you. It just causes a severe overload in the process and it can make him pass out."

"Is he normally alright after this?" Jack asked somewhat worriedly.

"Yeah, he just get's a really nasty headache after he wakes up." Kit admitted.

Jack sat and thought about everything Kit had just told him.

It was so like Ianto. Taking care of everyone and ignoring himself. Taking on everyone's pain without question or without asking for anything in return, keeping them all feeling at peace while he felt not only his own pain, but everyone else's turmoil as well, and never letting them know. Instead just delivering coffee with a kind smile or working away diligently in the archives.

Now he understood why Ianto tried so hard to take care of him. Jack's pain could be overwhelming and he knew it. But ever since Ianto had joined them, he felt as if a little bit of the weight on his shoulders would be lifted every day. Ianto wanted to take away Jack's pain and never asked for any type of gratitude. Just did so as if it was second nature.

"The cogs in your brain are goin' into overload there Mr. Harkness." said Kit breaking into his thoughts.

"Sorry, I just get….. Lost in thought." he admitted with a tiny smile.

"Do I gotta send a search party in to find you then?"

This time Jack laughed. "Nah, I think you found me." he said with a smile.

"Look, I know your thinkin' of Uncle Ianto."

"We don't exactly give him enough credit where credit is due." Jack admitted.

"You're his friends!" Kit pointed out. "Uncle Ianto's the type that'll do anything for his friends. Anything to take care of them. Grandpa told me one time, Uncle Ianto's friend was very sick and needed a bone marrow transplant and when Uncle Ianto found that he was a match, he donated without hesitation even though it made him sick for a while. He did it for his friend. He knows your always hurting, so he wants to make you feel better, because you're his friend."

"You're Uncle's quite an amazing young man Kit." Jack said honestly.

"Isn't he though?" Kit asked with a grin. "I'm proud to say he's my Uncle."

"And I'm proud to say he's my friend." Jack agreed.

Just then Tosh and Tara walked out with the food, and so the four headed back across the plass to the tourist office.

Jack was relieved to see that Ianto was feeling better when he came up from the archives to join them for lunch in the board room.

It seemed everyone was doing their best to make Ianto smile and laugh, and Jack could tell that it was working. Ianto seemed to brighten up a bit.

But he could see that there was a dullness to Ianto's eyes that had never been there before, and Jack resolved to help bring the sparkle back to those eyes and hopefully their date that night would do just that.

After lunch it appeared that Kit had decided to stick to Owen and Tara with Tosh as Jack finished up his paperwork and Ianto stayed down in the archives.

Later that evening Ianto had to take Kit and Tara to his sister Rhiannon's house, so Owen and Tosh said goodbye to the children before Ianto took them, then Jack told them to head home themselves since everything was quiet.

But after everyone had left, Jack sat at his desk, thinking. He realized something else was really wrong with Ianto. He was hiding something, and Jack wanted Ianto to trust him enough to confide in him.

So when Ianto had returned Jack went to greet him in the main area. "Ianto? Are you alright?" he asked, hugging the young man.

"Jack…. There's something I need to talk to you about." Ianto said softly.

Jack felt his heart sink. The pain in Ianto's voice was clear and he was afraid the young man would say that he didn't want to try and be together.

"What's wrong Ianto?" he asked softly.

"Come with me, there's something I need to show you." Ianto said, moving out of Jack's embrace.

Jack was really quite unsure what was going on, but he followed Ianto down into the basements into rooms that were never used.

"I'm sure you're going to be quite upset with me." Ianto said, his voice cracking. "And I apologize, really I do."

Jack could see the pain that was twisting the boy's beautiful face and it was hurting him inside. He honestly couldn't figure out what Ianto had done and part of him was scared to find out.

Ianto lead him down to a room that Jack actually forgot existed. But when he unlocked the door and opened it, Jack wasn't prepared for what he saw.

There was a partially converted cyberman in his basement and a cyber conversion unit to top it off.

Now he knew what Ianto had been hiding.

"I… Ianto…. What the hell?" was all he could manage.

"Her name is….. Was Lisa." Ianto said softly, tears welling up in his eyes. "I was hoping I could try and save her but….."

"How long have you had her here?" Jack felt somewhat betrayed knowing Ianto had snuck something like this into his hub.

"A couple of weeks after I started. That's part of why I wanted to work here so badly. To try and help her."

Jack felt anger well up inside of him over such a betrayal. But it was then that Jack remembered what Kit had said.

Ianto took excellent care of his friends, doing whatever it took to make sure they were alright. He had been trying to help a friend.

"I really hoped I could help her, but today I finally realized that there's nothing I could do, and I value your friendship more then trying to help keep whatever this thing is alive, because it's not my friend, her soul is long gone. I just wish I had realized that sooner."

Jack turned to see Ianto staring at the floor, trying to hide the tears that were now falling. He gently hugged the young man who appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown. But there was one question he really had to ask.

"Ianto, I need you to be honest with me, you didn't just become my friend to get this in here, did you?" he asked.

He felt Ianto jerk as he choked on a sob, then he felt Ianto's hands curl into the fabric of his shirt against his chest.

"I was afraid you'd think that." he said shakily. "please don't think that. I became your friend because I wanted to be your friend. Because I like you as a person. I would never use you, and if you think that this is the only reason I befriended you, I'm sorry, I'm really truly sorry Jack."

Ianto was crying freely now, his tears being absorbed by the fabric of Jack's shirt as he gently rubbed Ianto's back, trying to calm him.

"I could never imagine loosing your friendship, or even Tosh and Owen's friendship. If the person I wanted to save no longer exists, I don't want to loose the three of you over it." Ianto whispered honestly. "I especially don't want to loose you Jack."

Jack's mind was muddled with emotions to the point that he couldn't figure out what he was thinking anymore.

He had felt betrayed, angry and hurt, but that didn't last long because in the end he felt quite a bit of adoration and respect for Ianto who proved that he truly was a faithfully diligent friend, but he also felt pain for what Ianto was going through, admitting everything to him.

Suddenly Ianto let out a strangled gasp of pain. He grabbed Jack's arms as his legs suddenly gave way, and Jack realized that he had done what Kit had done earlier.

He was suddenly giving Ianto an emotional overload.

"Ianto? Ianto! Come on, don't pass out on me!" Jack said, trying to keep Ianto focused on him as he put up his mental barriers to stop his emotions from reeking havoc on Ianto's mind.

But it was too late, Ianto was now a dead weight in his arms.

Jack cursed under his breath, trying to keep Ianto from hitting the floor. He should've paid more attention to Ianto. What kind of a friend was he?

Here was Ianto willing to risk everything to save a friend that the cybermen had gotten to, taking on everyone else's pain to make them feel better, and here was Jack, letting his emotions run wild to the point that he caused the young man to pass out again.

Jack hauled Ianto out of the basement and up into the main hub where he gently laid the him down on the couch. Then he walked into his office and grabbed the only thing he could use as a blanket: his greatcoat. After making sure Ianto was tucked in safely within the giant coat, Jack went downstairs and decided to get rid of the one thing that had caused Ianto so much grief and turmoil over the last several months.

As Jack went about the grueling task of disposing of the whole thing he saw a picture on the stand beside the conversion unit and realized that this had been the young woman that he had seen in the picture on Ianto's fridge. The one of him and a young woman in front of Big Ben. He set aside the photograph to return to Ianto later, then he started dismantling everything and moving the mess to the incinerator down the hallway.

Jack was somewhat relieved that Ianto had come clean before anything had happened. They didn't need a partially converted cyberman running amok throughout the hub or worse, getting loose and hurting people. No, he was definitely proud of Ianto for admitting everything.

After about two hours, the room was cleaned out and the incinerator was running, so he headed upstairs where Ianto was still out cold on the couch. So he sat down on the floor beside him and waited for him to wake up.

About five minutes later, Ianto began stirring.

"Hey there sunshine, how are you feeling?" Jack asked softly.

"Like crap." Ianto retorted, rubbing his hand over his face, obviously feeling quite a headache.

"Well then let's get you home." Jack said standing up. But he was surprised when he felt Ianto's hand gently grip his wrist. He looked down to see Ianto watching him, his blue eyes filled with sadness.

"I'm sorry I ruined our night Jack." he said quietly. "But I just had to say something. I'm really sorry."

Jack smiled kindly before leaning down and gently kissing Ianto's forehead. "I'm glad you said something Ianto. I know it took a lot for you to do that and I understand that you were just trying to help what you thought was your friend. At least we were able to do something about it before something bad happened."

"I guess I've got quite a cleanup on my hands don't I?"

"I took care of it Ianto. I figured you wouldn't want to be there."

"Everything's gone and disposed of then I suppose?" Ianto asked softly, almost as if scared to hear the answer.

"Yes. Now come on, let's get you home."

He helped Ianto up off the couch and into his coat, then they went out to the underground car park where they got into the SUV and left the hub.

The car ride was silent as Ianto rested his head against the window and tried to shut his eyes against the flashes from the streetlamps they were passing.

After they had arrived at Ianto's flat, Ianto had just gone into he living room and sat down on the couch, leaning his head back and trying to rest.

"Maybe some food might help that headache," Jack said softly as he gently ran a hand through Ianto's hair.

Ianto just let out a pained groan in response.

"I'll go get us something, I'll be back in a few." he said, then he kissed Ianto's cheek and left the flat thinking that Ianto might need a few moments to himself to think. So he went out and found a stand with fish and chips, something simple and easy and nearby. He didn't want to leave Ianto alone for too long.

Jack returned to the flat about fifteen minutes later and set the food on the table before hanging up his coat and taking off his boots. He went into the living room to tell Ianto that he had brought dinner, but instead he felt fear grip his heart when he saw Ianto curled up on the couch, an almost empty prescription bottle and a glass of water.

"Ianto?" he cried rushing over to him.

When Ianto didn't respond, Jack quickly embraced the young man and gently shook him.

"Come on Ianto, wake up, please wake up!"

"Hmm? Jack?"

Jack let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Ianto, are you okay?"

"What's going on?" Ianto grumbled.

"I wanted to make sure you could still wake up."

Ianto looked at him perplexedly. "Wha…?" He paused then looked at the bottle on the table and realization dawned on him. "Oh! You thought….!" He shook his head and gently caressed Jack's cheek to reassure him. "That's just some pain medication that Owen gave me earlier for my migraine. He didn't give me a whole lot so that's why the bottle is almost empty. I must've dozed off after taking it."

Jack felt extremely relieved by the explanation, but he was also somewhat ashamed of his reaction and worry.

"Well as long as I know you're alright." he said.

Ianto chuckled weakly, but Jack had to admit it was a wonderful sound.

"Thank you Jack." he whispered.

"I brought some dinner. Are you hungry?"

"A bit." Ianto admitted, sitting up

"Alright, I'll be right back."

Jack went and retrieved the food from the table and the two ate on the couch in silence before he saw how sleepy Ianto was getting.

"Come on, let's get you into bed." Jack said, cleaning up the remains of their dinner.

Ianto just nodded and let Jack help him off the couch and guide him into the bedroom.

Jack was somewhat surprised when Ianto just stripped down to his boxers and undershirt leaving his beloved suit on the floor as he climbed into his bed and under the covers.

It was proof of just how exhausted Ianto suddenly was.

So Jack let Ianto drift off to sleep as he picked up the suit and put it on a hanger, before putting it back the closet. Then he striped down himself, putting his clothes on the dresser before climbing into bed beside Ianto.

While their plans for a date had obviously been ruined, Jack decided he was much happier with everything he had learned about Ianto, and knowing that Ianto valued his friendship so much.

He then curled up against Ianto, wrapping his arms around Ianto's slender waist before letting out a tired yawn, and drifting off to sleep as well.

.

.

.

A/N: So? Was it okay? I really tried. i hope you guys like it, as always let me know and I'll try and have another chapter posted first thing in the morning!


	14. a nightmare, a kiss and a nasty surprise

A/N: alright, this is kind of a short chapter, but since you guys have been reviewing faithfully, I felt I had to post faithfully. If anyone gets a bit confused by anything, I promise more will be explained later, but right now, I just wanted to get this posted before I went to bed considering I have to be at work in seven hours. So I hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any torchwood...

.

.

.

It was a nightmare, it had to be a nightmare.

Ianto couldn't breathe, he was coughing, choking as the archives of Torchwood tower burned around him. He had to escape, had to find Lisa and Kit, his two friends in the nightmare he had come to work for. But he couldn't get out. He was trapped, surrounded by shelves, files and the bodies of the other archivists. He was all that was left, as the fire climbed up to the ceiling, then he heard it, the metallic sounds of marching cybermen.

Ianto woke up screaming as he sat bolt upright, covered in a cold sweat.

"Ianto! Ianto! Hey, it's okay! You're okay!" came a voice as something gently grabbed hold of him.

Ianto was panting, out of breath, and then he realized that Jack was beside him, holding him tight.

"You're alright, it's okay Ianto." Jack said, trying to calm him.

Trying to calm himself down, Ianto leaned against Jack and took several deep breaths. "I'm sorry I woke you." he whispered.

"Hey, don't apologize, you were having a nightmare. But you're alright now, I'm here." Jack said softly as he gently ran a hand through Ianto's hair.

"Oh what a nightmare." he muttered, rubbing the heels of his hands over his eyes. He could feel another migraine beginning. But then he paused, he realized he was in Jack's arms, but he wasn't feeling any emotion from Jack. He leaned back and looked at him.

"What?" Jack asked, obviously wondering about the look Ianto was giving him.

"Why…. Why can't I feel anything?" he asked. Then he realized Jack had no idea he was an empath. 'What a dumb thing to ask. He won't have an answer. He doesn't know what I'm talking about.' he thought to himself. Suddenly he was hit with hints of affection and contentedness.

"Better?" Jack asked with a tiny smile.

Ianto stared. "How…."

"Kit told me about what causes you to have an occasional black out. I realized last night I gave you quite an emotional roller coaster ride to go along with your grief. Where I'm from, psychic abilities are pretty common, and we're taught to use mental barriers. But I've let my guard down since I've been here, so I put up my barrier for a bit, that way I wouldn't hurt you."

Ianto could hardly believe what he was hearing. Jack actually had psychic training. It was one thing for Torchwood one employees, but he had no idea about others. Suddenly Ianto felt something warm and fuzzy touch his fingers them move up his arm, followed by something sticky that stuck to his wrist for a moment.

He let out a cry of shock and jumped, launching him and Jack off the bed.

Jack coughed, obviously winded from Ianto landing on him.

"Sorry about that." Ianto said, shaking his head. He looked down at Jack who just smiled, then he began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, that I was jumpy enough to send us flying off the bed?" Ianto shrugged.

At that Jack laughed and Ianto felt himself feeling peaceful for the first time since the night before, when Jack had asked him out.

Ianto smiled and leaned down to kiss the man he had come to feel so much affection for. He wasn't sure if he'd call it love just yet, but he knew he was quite content with where they were none the less.

"So, what was it that caused you to fly off the handle like that?" Jack asked between kisses.

"No idea now." Ianto said, completely forgetting everything around him. 'What irony.' he thought, 'the first time we ever kissed we were in the same predicament on the ground, just without my blankets tangled up around us.' But he really didn't care, he just let his fingers curl around the fabric of Jack's shirt as the kiss deepened, the two men completely ignoring the world around them.

That is, until something very nasty and slimy fell onto Ianto's neck and dripped down onto Jack's chest, bringing the two out of their very passionate kiss.

"Ugh…" Ianto growled, getting the slime on his fingers. "What the….."

"Oh, what is this stuff?" Jack gasped with a grimace.

It was then that Ianto heard a familiar chuckle to their right.

"Damn it Aldair! Where did you come from and why did you have to drool?" Ianto snapped at the giant anteater that had somehow appeared in his flat.

"Ianto why is there an anteater in your room?" Jack asked.

"I thought you could use some company Ianto, but I see you already have some." the anteater chuckled gleefully.

Ianto stood up and gasped in disgust as the slime slipped down the back of his shirt and slid down his back.

"That's absolutely disgusting Aldair!" he snarled at the creature. "How did you get here?"

It was then that Ianto saw the brown door that had appeared on the wall by his closet. Within seconds though the door melted away. It was a sign that his Uncle Malachai was meddling in his life.

"So tell me Mr. Jones, when did you become like Jim and Tim?" the anteater asked.

Ianto paused and looked at the anteater. "What do you mean?"

Tim and Jim had been two of Ianto's best friends in high school, and Tim was eventually adopted into the family after his father neglected him. They had played baseball and formed a strings quintet with Angela and their friend Aldo and they had been close for years. But when Ianto joined Torchwood, all he heard were snippets of their lives. Last he heard he thought Tim was getting married to a girl named Maria.

"Oh you didn't hear? Tim and Jim are getting married."

"So….?"

"To each other."

Ianto choked on a gasp. He hadn't seen that coming by a long shot, the two flirted with women so often, they would've been equivalent to a straight version of Jack.

"Okay, I'd really like to know why there is a talking anteater in your flat." said Jack getting up to stand behind Ianto. "And how he holds so much slime in the tiny snout of his."

"That's my secret." said Aldair his smile showing in his tiny eyes.

"My Uncle Malachai must've sent him here. It's a long story. Anyway, Jack this is Aldair, Aldair this is Jack." Ianto muttered. "I need a shower. Aldair, you salivate on anything else in this flat I swear to God I will call Uncle Malachai and make him come get you." He then turned and headed into the bathroom where he started the water for a nice warm shower.

Ianto and Jack took turns showering then they got dressed for the day.

"What time do you have to pick up Tara and Kit?" Jack asked, snapping on his braces.

"Lunch time, I promised Rhiannon I'd go over for lunch." Ianto said straightening his tie.

"Why do you wear a suit?" Aldair asked watching him. "I thought you hated suits. You always griped when you'd have to wear one for your orchestra recitals."

"I still can't get used to that thing." Jack mumbled.

"I'm not a thing, thank you very much." Aldair growled at him.

"Hush, don't growl." Ianto said sternly.

"And who are you to tell me what to do child?" Aldair asked.

Ianto just sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to tell Uncle Malachai to come get you, I have to go."

"I'm going too." Aldair said.

"No, Rhi would freak over you. Besides, I'm going into work for a bit before I pick up the little ones. My car's at the hub anyway."

"Do you really think I care? I'm going too." Aldair protested.

"I won't have a talking anteater wandering around the hub." Jack argued.

Ianto sighed, knowing this was about to turn into a shouting match between Captain Jack Harkness and Aldair the talking anteater, and he already knew who was going to win.

"I don't care what you think!" Aldair growled. "You have no say in the matter!"

"Think again! It's my team, my hub, and my home, I don't need you getting into things!" Jack snapped standing up.

"Jack, be careful." Ianto warned.

But Jack ignored him.

"I'm going with Ianto and that's final!"

"I'm not taking orders from an anteater!"

"I'm not taking orders from a child!"

"I'm not a child! I'm a hundred and seventy six!"

"I'm three hundred and four!"

Ianto saw Jack quickly hide the surprise on his face. 'I wonder what the neighbors are thinking by now.' he sighed to himself.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to let you into the hub! There's no point arguing, you won't win!"

"I'm going and that's final!" Aldair roared, his snout splitting open to reveal his fangs.

Jack let out a shriek of terror as he backed away from the creature.

"You don't fight with an old angelic creation gone wrong Jack." Ianto said softly as Aldair growled. "If he's insisting, you won't win. But seriously Aldair? Just this once can't you actually listen to me? I'm asking you nicely. Please stay here?"

The anteater starred at him for a long moment. "Fine, I'll stay." he growled. "Can I sleep on your couch?"

"Provided you keep the drool to a minimum, then yes, you can sleep on the couch. I don't think Kit and Tara would appreciate having to sleep on the couch after your saliva soaked into it." he said, feeling relieved that Aldair agreed to stay home. "Come on Jack, let's go."

Jack just nodded and slowly walked around Aldair, keeping a wary eye on the creature as he left the room.

"I'll see you after lunch Aldair." said Ianto, then he followed Jack out of the room.

"So…. Care to explain how he's three hundred and four years old?" Jack asked as they got into the SUV. "Or how he got into your flat? Or why he has teeth?"

"Aldair's just one very long story." Ianto sighed. "As for how he got into my flat… just know that if you see random doors in my flat, don't touch them. There's a story behind them too, but I'm just warning you."

"Your family's more out of this world then Torchwood." Jack sighed.

"So I've been told."

"And he ruined a perfectly good moment." Jack sighed, obviously disappointed.

Ianto had to admit he was quite disappointed as well. Who knows where that kiss would've lead. It was then that he felt somewhat guilty. "I'm sorry I ruined our chance to go out last night Jack." he muttered softly.

"Hey, don't feel guilty." Jack said with a kind smile. "I'm glad you were honest with me. There's plenty of other nights we can try and have a date. It's worth having to reschedule a dinner date as opposed to having that thing wake up and get loose."

Ianto just looked down at his hands in his lap with a quiet sigh. But he was surprised when Jack reached over and gently grasped one of his hands, lacing their fingers together.

"Thank you for telling me the truth Ianto." he said. "I'd rather have you be honest with me and feel a bit of hurt, as opposed to finding out when everything went wrong and feeling completely betrayed and angry. It's a lot easier to forgive honesty."

"I just wish I had done it sooner. Then I wouldn't of tried so hard to save the empty shell of what used to be a friend." Ianto whispered honestly.

"Look at it this way Ianto, if you hadn't of tried to save her, if you hadn't of tried to get into Torchwood three, we never would have met, we wouldn't have our friendship, and you wouldn't have a friendship with Tosh and Owen. Did you think about that?"

Ianto shook his head. No, he hadn't thought about that. But Jack was right, if it weren't for the fact that he was trying to save Lisa, he never would have met the Torchwood three team. He never would have developed such wonderful friendships, and such an interesting relationship with Jack Harkness. Maybe there was some light to the matter after all.

He finally smiled a little. "You're right Jack, I never would have met any of you outside of Torchwood. If that were the case, I might not be as content as I am with what I have here."

Jack smiled back. "That's a good way of thinking about it." he agreed. "Now then, the point is we still have our friendship, and now we have to get to the hub. So at least last night, while not exactly a pleasant memory, it won't be something that'll create too much tension between us, agreed?"

"Absolutely." said Ianto, feeling a heavy weight being lifted off his shoulders. He leaned over and gave Jack a gentle kiss on the lips. "Thank you Jack."

"You're welcome," Jack said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Then he let go, turned the key, and before long, they were heading down the road, sitting in their usual comfortable silence.

.

.

.

A/N: okay, like I said, a bit of a short chapter, but I tried. If there's any confusion, I'll explain later, if there's any mistakes, just kindly point them out and I'll fix them after I get home from work tonight. But now I need sleep. So if you guys want the next chapter, just let me know!


	15. I can't come up with a decent title

A/N: okay, this is just kind of a short filler chapter for the moment as I figure out where I'm going next. But if you guys like it, I still enjoy the reviews and once again I'm writing this at four in the morning so I apologize for any mistakes. Thanks for being so faithful guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own torchwood... yawn... sleepy... grr...

.

.

.

Jack had been absolutely terrified when he had woken up to Ianto screaming that morning At first he had no idea what was going on so all he could really do was try and comfort the young man, whispering reassurances until Ianto had settled down enough to talk to him. Mind you the chance to talk didn't last long when a long fuzzy snout scared Ianto half out of his wits.

Of course when the two went tumbling off the bed, and onto the floor, Jack couldn't help but enjoy the kisses that they were sharing, that is, until they ended up covered in an unusual anteater's thick and nasty slobber.

After a slight heart to heart about the night before, the two had headed to work and Jack felt like there was a slight sense of normalcy after they arrived at the hub. Ianto bringing coffee, Tosh typing away, and Owen shouting snarky remarks at Ianto from the autopsy bay, Ianto always responding with a dry sense of humor.

Everything was almost normal despite Suzie, and Jack finding out that Ianto had kept a cyberman in his basement for almost six months.

"What time are you leaving Ianto?" Jack asked as Ianto brought him a mug of coffee.

"I'll be leaving around noon, after I order lunch for everyone." said Ianto.

"And tonight?"

"The choir and orchestra concert is tonight, it's Tara's birthday." he said.

"That's right! Tara's turning nine today, right?" Jack asked.

"Yes. And she wanted to know if you were going to join us tonight."

"Rift permitting I will gladly join the three of you." Jack said with a smile. Normally he wasn't one for such concerts, in all honesty, he'd never been in the millennium centre once since it had been built. But spending time with Ianto and his young siblings was like a breath of fresh air, something new, and the chance to experience new things wasn't something he came across often.

"Great. Now then, paperwork." said Ianto dropping another stack on Jack's desk.

"Seriously Ianto? Do you just do this to drive me crazy?" Jack groaned.

"I do it as payback for all the times I've had to sew up your jacket when a weevil rips it, and I'm still in the process of getting you back for the time that you reorganized my desk in the tourist office." Ianto said with a smirk.

Jack just grumbled incoherently as he slammed his head down on the pile of files. He vowed to never mess with Ianto's desk again.

"Now don't go giving yourself a concussion sir, that'll only make it harder for you to complete the paperwork. It better be on my desk by the time lunch arrives. Have fun." Ianto said, then he turned and left the office.

"Damn it…." Jack muttered under his breath. He hated paper work. But he hated when Ianto would tease him mercilessly when he didn't finish. So he picked up his pen and got to work.

.

Around noon, Ianto had ordered lunch for everyone, and delivered it to each person's desk before saying goodbye and leaving for the day.

Jack had to admit, he was glad that the day had been peaceful, hopefully it meant that the night was going to be the same. But after he had sent everyone home, and he was about to leave, there was a weevil sighting in Canton near Victoria park.

"Well, at least it's not Splott." he muttered to himself. After calling Ianto and explaining that he wouldn't be able to meet them, he hopped in the SUV and drove out to the park.

He should've known that things weren't going to remain peaceful, it'd had been such a calm day that something happening just in time to ruin one's plans were inevitable.

Once he arrived at the park, Jack quickly hopped out of the SUV and went on the hunt for the weevil, just wanting to end the night as fast as possible. In all honesty he had gotten quite used to weevil hunting with Ianto, so to be alone felt a bit strange.

To top it off, it took him longer then usual to find the weevil in the small park. Nearly twenty minutes, and it was the one that caught him by surprise.

By the time Jack realized it, the weevil had bitten into his neck, sending pain shooting through him, and before he could do anything, everything went black.

Jack woke up with a painfully sharp gasp as he flailed around on the ground, with his usual cry of shock. His neck was sore, and he was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, a few rocks here and there digging into his back and legs. He coughed as he rolled over and stood up, surveying the damage to his clothes.

The blood was everywhere. His light blue shirt was officially ruined, and even his tan braces had dark stains.

'It was time for a new pair anyway,' he shrugged. Jack looked at his watched and sighed. It was after ten already. He had been out for much longer then usual, which he figured explained why he was so drained.

He walked back to the SUV and pulled out a spare shirt that he kept in the boot. He didn't feel like going back to the hub, but he knew Ianto wouldn't want him in the bed covered in blood either. So he changed into a new undershirt and his dark blue shirt before getting back into the SUV and driving straight to Ianto's flat.

When he arrived he quietly let himself in and found that the place was dark and everything was quiet. So he took off his boots and left them at the door before hanging up his coat. He passed by the living room and saw Kit and Tara both asleep on the couch, curled up under their blankets and even Aldair the anteater asleep on the floor beside him.

Jack couldn't help but smile. He had become so attached to the two children, and seeing them so peaceful helped him feel at peace as well. He quietly snuck into the bedroom to find Ianto already asleep curled up under the blankets on the left side of the bed.

It appeared that the two seemed to have claimed sides of the bed. Jack was always on the right and Ianto was always on the left. It was a trivial thing to notice really, but Jack smiled all the same as he stripped to his undershirt and boxers and climbed into the bed beside the young man who hardly even stirred.

After several moments Jack had finally made himself comfortable beside Ianto and quietly began to drift off. But then he heard a quiet shuffling and felt something in between him and Ianto. He opened his eyes to see Kit settling down to sleep between them, wrapped in his blanket. But then he got a real surprise when Kit snuggled up to him.

"Night night Mr. Harkness." Kit yawned sleepily.

Jack felt himself smile and hug the boy. "Good night Kit." He whispered. Then he drifted off to sleep.

.

.

.

A/N: like I said nothing too fancy at the moment, just a quickie filler chapter to get where I'm going, so I hope you guys don't mind! Thanks again for reading!


	16. Ianto admits he's in love

A/N: slowly making my way through this story. I'm glad everyone still enjoys this. I thank all of my faithful readers, and say hello to the new ones. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own any torchwood... grrr...

.

.

.

When Ianto woke up, he was surprised when he found Kit laying beside him, and Jack on the other side of Kit.

Ianto had no idea that Jack had come in during the night. He hoped that the weevil hadn't put up too much of a fight and hurt his Captain. He sat up and couldn't help but smile.

Kit was wrapped up in his blanket and snuggled up against Jack's side and Jack had an arm wrapped around the boy's skinny shoulders. The two looked completely content as they slept.

Ianto leaned over and gently kissed Jack's lips. Then he climbed out of the bed and got dressed before heading out into the kitchen where he passed Tara working diligently on her computer at the tale.

"And what are you up to now?" Ianto asked with a sigh on his way to the kitchen. "You better not be hacking into anything."

"I'm not!" she protested. "Niles sent me the latest bit of his formula."

Ianto just shook his head as he began making coffee.

"So, you and Mr. Harkness huh?" she asked.

Ianto looked at her with a raised brow. "Meaning what exactly?"

"Oh come on, I'm not blind." she scoffed. "A boss and his employee having a casual shag and snog don't cuddle at night."

"You're not even old enough to know what a shag is." he chided sternly.

"I'm not only an intelligent nerd, I've got street smarts and I know current 'slang'." she said making quotation marks with her fingers.

Ianto shook his head with a sigh. "That doesn't mean you're old enough to use those words." he said.

"You're missing the point big brother." she said.

"And what is the point?" he asked, setting the coffee container on the counter and staring her down.

"Simple, you're falling in love with Mr. Harkness!" she said.

Ianto jerked back. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to admit that just yet.

"And Mr. Harkness has been falling for you too!" she pointed out. "Kit said he can feel those emotions, and besides, I can see how you two look at each other!"

Ianto sighed. "It doesn't matter."

"Did you guys go out on that date the other night?" she asked with a smile.

"And how did you know about that?" he asked her.

"I have my ways."

He growled and shook his head a bit. "No we didn't go."

"Why not?"

"Long story." he muttered. "Anyway, it didn't happen."

"Is it going to?"

"I don't know." he shrugged.

"It should. You two look cute together."

Ianto just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Tara, don't start butting into my personal life."

"I'm your little sister, I just want you to be happy." she said, stubbornly.

"I know. But that doesn't mean you have to get involved in every little thing in my life. Especially not my love life."

Tara just shook her head vigorously, her pig tails whipping around. "It doesn't matter! I'll still mess with your life. Now then, are you gonna admit your in love or not?"

"Tara!" he growled.

"Admit it!" she said.

Ianto let out a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and put his hands on his hips. "Fine! Fine! I've fallen in love with Captain Jack Harkness, happy now?"

Tara smiled. "Very. Good job Ianto." she said, then she went back to her work as if they hadn't even had the conversation leaving Ianto staring at her.

After a moment he shook his head then went back to making coffee.

Soon Jack and Kit walked out of the bedroom.

"I smell coffee." Jack said with a smile.

Kit ran over and gave Ianto a hug around the waist. "Can I have hot cocoa instead of coffee Uncle Ianto?" he asked making Ianto smile.

"Of course Kit. I wouldn't make you coffee anyway." he said with a grin. "Happy birthday Kit."

Kit giggled. "Thanks Uncle Ianto. We're going to Caerphilly today right?"

"Yes, today we're going to Caerphilly." he confirmed.

Kit just giggled as he went and sat down beside Tara.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jack asked.

"If you really did give me a penny each time you asked me that, I'd have at least fifty cents to use back home in the states." Ianto quipped with a smile.

Jack chuckled softly.

"It was just something I was talking to Tara about." he sighed, really not wanting to admit to Jack that he had officially admitted that he was in love with him. He turned to see Kit whisper in Tara's ear just to have her whisper back before the two started giggling.

"And what are the two of you up to?" Jack asked with a smile.

"We're planning world domination." Kit said seriously.

Tara nodded in confirmation.

"Well I wouldn't put it past the two of you. It's always the quiet ones that do the unexpected." Jack said smiling a little at Ianto.

Ianto felt a slight warmth in his cheeks, so he turned away and began making oatmeal for the children.

After Kit and Tara had received their breakfast, Ianto went into the bedroom to get dressed, followed by Jack.

"You okay Ianto?" Jack asked softly as he put on his shirt.

"Of course Jack." said Ianto with a smile. "Anyway, how was the weevil hunt last night?"

Jack suddenly looked like a child getting their hand caught in the cookie jar. "You didn't see my coat did you?"

Ianto's face fell. That meant, "How bad is the damage?"

"No tears," said Jack proudly. Then he frowned. "Just…. A lot of blood….. On the collar."

Ianto rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. "Seriously?"

"It snuck up on me. I didn't have a chance." Jack sighed, sitting down on the bed.

At that, Ianto frowned, that meant Jack had died. He had died and Ianto hadn't been there with him. No one had. Ianto couldn't imagine what that would feel like for Jack. Sometimes it was hard enough when he awoke from a deep slumber to find himself alone, but to wake from death and be alone? He didn't want to experience that.

He walked over to Jack and gently kissed his lips. "I'll figure out the stain later." he said softly. "Are you alright though?"

"I'm fine. I was just really tired when I got here last night. Sorry for inviting myself in by the way."

"You're welcome here anytime Jack." said Ianto honestly, reaching over and gently rubbing the back of Jack's neck. "You seem to get better sleep when you're here."

"Of course I do." Jack said with a tiny smile. "I'm with you."

Ianto couldn't help but smile a little as he felt affection coming from the man in front of him, causing his own affection to build up inside. He kissed Jack again.

"I say after Kit and Tara leave on Friday, you and I try for that date again." said Ianto with a smile.

"That would be wonderful Ianto." Jack replied. Then he grinned a bit wickedly. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about children in the next room later that night."

Ianto rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"Of course I know that." Jack smirked.

Ianto just shook his head as he got up and got dressed. It always felt good to have a bit of a light banter with Jack. He just prayed Tara wouldn't ruin anything for the day. He had a pretty good idea of what her and Kit had been whispering about.

In all honesty, Ianto was somewhat surprised that he had admitted he loved Jack to himself, let alone Tara, and he really wasn't sure how Jack would react if he'd said anything, so he kept to himself.

"Anyway, you best get to work and we've got a bit of a drive ahead of us." Ianto said breaking into the silence as he put on his sweater. "Meet us back here for dinner?"

"What'd you do for Tara's birthday last night?" Jack asked curiously.

"She wanted pizza, so we went for pizza." Ianto shrugged. "Why?"

"Well how about we go out for Kit's birthday too?" Jack asked. "My treat, where ever the little guy wants to go."

Ianto smiled. Yes, he was definitely falling in love with this man who was so caring towards his sister and nephew.

"Alright, I'll tell him to think about it, and I'll text you on our way back from Caerphilly, how's that?"

"Sounds good." said Jack standing up. He crossed the room and took Ianto into his arms, surprising the young man. "I can't believe how quickly I've fallen for you and those kids." he whispered, leaning in so their foreheads were touching.

Ianto could feel the warmth from Jack radiating through him, making him feel safe and happy, and causing him to let out a content sigh as he leaned into the embrace.

"We're special." he quipped with a shrug.

Jack just laughed and leaned back a little.

Ianto looked up just to have Jack capture his lips in a warm kiss.

"I'll see you tonight." Jack whispered, ducking down for one more quick kiss. Then he let go and left the room leaving Ianto dazed.

"How does he do that to me?" he muttered, shaking his head. Then he finished getting ready before collecting the children so they could leave for the day.

.

.

.

A/N: yay! another date set up, let's hope it actually goes as planned this time! and Ianto admitted he loved Jack, all the better! Anyway, as always, you review and I write a new chapter! You guys are always keeping me on my toes you review so quick! This story's getting exciting for me! Thanks to everyone!


	17. Too tired to make a title  sorry

A/N: I'm kinda falling asleep as I type this part up, so if it babbles slightly, I apologize, but all I can say now it thanks for reading guys!

Disclaimer: I don't have anything to do with torchwood...

.

.

.

For Jack the rest of the week had been quite an adventure between the rift acting up during the day spitting out things here and there, and spending the nights with Ianto, Kit and Tara.

For Kit's birthday, the four of them had gone out to a small fish and chips stand at the plass where they ate their food watching the sun set over the bay, because Kit decided that was what he wanted to do, spend time with his family watching something most people took for granted.

After dinner, Tosh and Owen had actually shown up at Ianto's flat and brought a small cake for Kit and Tara, half of the cake with nine candles the other with eight, and their names written on each one's respected half. It had been quite a little party.

Jack had taken to spending the nights at Ianto's flat since the rift had been fairly quiet. Of course he knew that it wasn't going to last. He had a feeling that once the kids left, the rift was going to start acting up and keeping their lives busy.

It was early Saturday morning when the whole team actually went with Ianto to take Kit and Tara to the airport.

"Now you two aren't flying all the way home by yourselves are you?" Tosh asked as they prepared to board their flight.

"Course not Miss Tosh." said Tara.

"Our older brother Alistair is meeting them in Amsterdam. As for what he was doing there I really have no clue." Ianto shrugged.

"Be honest tea boy, how many siblings have you got?" Owen asked.

"No clue." Ianto said honestly.

"We have twenty four of us living at the house, and another nineteen that are either surrogates, or were old enough to leave home like Ianto." said Tara. "Twelve in laws, two hundred and thirteen cousins if you include the in laws there too, and then we've got eight nephews and three nieces."

"How do you do that?" Ianto asked, obviously bewildered as the Jack and the others stared.

"She's just good like that." said Kit with a smile making Tara giggle.

Just then their flight was called.

"Alright you two be good on the flight." said Jack, somewhat sad to see the kids go.

The two hugged Ianto then Tosh and Owen before hugging Jack.

"Are you gonna miss us Jack?" Tara asked looking up at him, her arms around his waist.

"Of course I'm going to miss you two." he said with a sad smile.

"Well we're going to miss you too Uncle Jack!" said Kit, also hugging him.

Jack couldn't help but smile.

Kit had never called him Uncle during the whole week, it was always Mr. Harkness. It was a sign that Kit was truly comfortable around Jack and now considered him family, and he had to admit, it made him feel quite happy.

After the two kids had been safely on their way, the team drove back to the hub, and went straight to work, Ianto had put another pile of papers on Jack's desk, letting him have a two day reprieve.

But Jack knew if he didn't finish the paper work in time, their date that night would have to wait till he was done and he definitely didn't want to wait, he wanted to get the work done as soon as possible while he prayed that nothing else happened.

He worked away diligently until he heard the soft clunk of a mug being set on his desk as the scent of coffee reached his nose. He looked up to see Ianto beaming at him.

The look confused him somewhat. "What's got you smiling?" he asked slowly. "More paper work?"

"Of course not Jack." he chuckled softly. "Kit called you Uncle today."

At that Jack smiled too. "It was certainly unexpected."

"You know that this now means that Kit's going to happily tell his daddy all about Uncle Jack right?" Ianto asked with a grin.

"Kit's daddy is the big scary one isn't he?" Jack asked with a sigh.

"Just the fact that you could make Kit as happy as you did, I highly doubt Alistair will come after you any time soon."

"Well that's a relief." he sighed. But then he realized something.

Ianto, Kit and Tara were always talking about Alistair, but he hardly ever saw any pictures of the man.

"Ianto, what does your older brother look like?" he asked. "I hear you guys talk about him all the time, but I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him."

"Really?" Ianto asked, obviously surprised.

"Really." Jack admitted.

"I suppose my photo albums are the one place you never thought to snoop." Ianto chuckled, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. Then he took out a picture and handed it to Jack.

Jack took the small photograph and smiled.

It was a picture of a teenage Ianto sitting on the shoulder of a giant in a white uniform.

But it was then that Jack got the feeling that he had met the man before.

It wasn't everyday that anyone, not even Jack, would find a giant with white and blue hair, and yellow eyes hidden behind a pair of spectacles.

He handed the picture back. "What was your brother's name again?"

"Alistair James Berkenbridge." said Ianto. "Anyway, you best finish up that paperwork."

Jack sighed and sat back in his chair. "I'm almost two thirds of the way done." he said.

Ianto smiled and picked up the finished files. "I'll go put these away in the archives then sir. And I'll be back for the rest in a bit."

Jack watched Ianto leave his office, then returned to his paper work. But he was now distracted by Ianto's older brother.

The man was very familiar, someone Jack had met once, but had made such an impression he was unforgettable.

If Jack was right, he'd know why Ianto's brother was so old, and yet looked hardly any older then Ianto.

As he finished up his stack, he suddenly had a revelation of where he had seen someone quite similar. So he picked up the files and headed down to the archives.

"Ianto? Hey! Ianto?" he called into the maze.

"I'm over here to your right Jack!" he heard Ianto's voice drift over from behind several shelves.

Jack walked towards where he heard Ianto's voice coming from, to find him shelving the files that he had finished earlier.

"Is there something I can help you with sir?" Ianto asked, looking at him.

"I finished my paperwork Ianto." said Jack, holding up the stack.

"Very good. I'm proud of you Jack, your work ethic lately has been quite phenomenal." said Ianto with a grin.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "That's because you're a slave driver when it comes to paper work." he admitted.

"But you must admit, it's much nicer when you actually finish on time and don't have to worry about it later, isn't it?" Ianto asked, placing the last file on the shelf before turning to face him.

"It is." Jack admitted with a shrug as Ianto took the files. He was surprised when Ianto gave him a peck on the cheek. "That wasn't much of a kiss." he said playfully.

"Work hours Jack." Ianto chided playfully.

Jack just shook his head with a sigh and a smile. "Anyway, Ianto where'd you put the files from the nineteen thirties?"

Ianto paused what he was doing and gave him a perplexed look. "What do you need over there sir?" he asked in curiosity.

"It's a long story. But I'm looking for an old Torchwood London file from nineteen thirty nine."

"Ah, well if you're looking for most of London's files, those are actually separate, said Ianto setting the files of the shelf. "Come with me."

Jack followed Ianto and for the first time got a look at how amazingly organized Ianto had managed to get everything. Each shelf had a label with a specific date on them, the files were all perfectly aligned. He could hardly believe it.

Ianto truly had worked a miracle in the archives and he was highly impressed.

"There weren't many that survived, but here are the files from nineteen thirty six." said Ianto stopping at the shelf.

Jack took a look at the sparse collection, but he did manage to find the one file he'd been looking for. "Thanks Ianto."

"You're welcome sir, is there anything else I can help you with?" said Ianto with a polite nod.

"Yeah, quit calling me sir, it makes me feel old."

"Well I could call you old man like I call my grandpa Ashtor." Ianto shrugged.

Jack just shook his head. "Don't you dare." he said. Then he decided to change the subject. "So, have you decided where you'd like to go tonight?"

And with that Ianto grinned and the two were engaged in quite a conversation, obviously excited about what the evening would hold between them.

.

.

.

A/N: hmm... what could be in that file? Anyone else wonder? Anyway, you reviewed I wrote, and next chapter... yay! The much anticipated date! Aren't you all so excited? ;)


	18. Ianto and Jack's date yay!

A/N: sorry I didn't post this last night, but I figured you guys would rather have me be fully awake writing the chapter where the two went out on the date as opposed to me falling asleep trying to attempt it. Anyway, I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ianto and Jack, I wish I did though.

.

.

.

Ianto was having trouble comprehending just what he was about to do. Going out with a man was not something he'd ever really expect of himself, but in the end he decided that maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. At least it was a date with Jack.

But after their conversation about their date, Gwen Cooper arrived on her first day of work around lunch.

Ianto didn't mind the woman. She was quite open and full of curiosity and wonder, but at the same time, he preferred to keep to himself around her for the moment. So when she arrived he stuck to the archives trying to figure out what file it was that Jack had taken.

But around six Jack had kicked the entire team out of the hub, Ianto down in the archives none the wiser about his boss telling everyone to go home.

He continued to sort through files and put them away until he heard jack's voice behind him.

"You shouldn't be here." Jack said.

"And where else would I be sir?" he asked, turning around to look at him.

"I don't know, at home, getting ready for our date." Jack shrugged.

"I'll just stick to my suit tonight." he said with a tiny smile. "Let me just put these last few files away, then we'll go."

He was surprised when Jack walked over and took the files from his hands.

"Do you have to be such a workaholic?" Jack asked kindly as he set the files down on Ianto's desk.

Ianto blushed slightly. "It's just who I am sir." he shrugged.

"Well don't get me wrong Ianto, I love who you are, but once in a while, maybe you could quit being a workaholic. At least for tonight." Jack suggested.

"I suppose your right." Ianto decided. Then he smiled. "Let's go then shall we?"

Jack returned the grin. "Let's." he agreed with a nod.

So the two of them headed out of the hub, leaving via invisible lift and headed up to the plass before talking the long way around to the garage to get the SUV.

They had dinner at a small restaurant near the city centre and Ianto was surprised at how comfortable he felt having dinner with Jack. They smiled and laughed and talked about anything and everything from work to little quirks and habits they each had.

"Okay, what's one of your favorite holidays and why?" Jack had asked.

Ianto chuckled. "Christmas, because I get to spend time with family, and I love to bake with my mother." he admitted with a smile. "She makes the most amazing zucchini bread."

"Zucchini? Isn't that a squash?" Jack asked surprised.

"Yes, but the bread tastes like cinnamon. That's the one thing my mum makes tons of because everybody eats it, and they finish it off as fast as mum puts it on the table."

Jack laughed a little bit. "So you love to bake with your mom huh?"

"Yup, mind you there's so many of us now that work together in the kitchen it usually turns into quite a day. There's usually about fifteen of us in the kitchen at once, and then it can involve everything from random jokes and busts of laughter to giant sing alongs." he said, remembering his last memorable Christmas at home.

Jack laughed.

"So what's one of your favorite foods?" Ianto asked.

Jack smiled. "Good question. I've eaten so many different things over the years that I have no idea anymore. But I will be honest, there was this little planet, just outside what you guys call the pinwheel galaxy, that had this weird orange like fruit, that was pretty good."

"And what was the planet called?" Ianto asked, quite curious now.

"I don't remember anymore. Last time I visited, I think I was only about twenty three. That was well over a hundred years ago."

Ianto couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "Yet that random fruit made enough of an impression on you that you remembered it after all these years."

"Absolutely. Kinda like, in thousands of years, I'll still remember your coffee."

"I highly doubt my coffee is really that good." Ianto said somewhat surprised by Jack's statement.

"After all the different things I've had over the years, your coffee definitely sticks out the most."

Ianto just rolled his eyes. But in his mind he couldn't help but think about just what Jack had said.

Jack was going to live forever, and while people in his family had unnaturally long lives, the only ones even close to being like Jack, were Alistair, Malachai, and Conner. The demon, the archangel, and the sorcerer. The inhuman family members.

So why would Ianto decide to date someone that would never age while he got older? He had no idea, but he resolved to just enjoy it while it lasted. He felt comfortable, and happy with Jack, and while he could never have a normal life with the man, it could be quite a life indeed. Besides normal was highly overrated. Ianto's family had taught him that.

"Are you okay Ianto? You got quiet all of the sudden." Jack said, breaking into his thoughts.

Ianto smiled a little. "I was just thinking, that's all." he said.

"About what?" Jack asked slowly.

"About how I'm glad that my family taught me that living a normal life is no fun at all."

Jack stared for a moment. Then he smiled. "That is true." he agreed. "What's the joy of living if everything has to go by the book?"

Ianto just smiled and took a sip of water.

If his life was supposed to be what was considered normal, then he wouldn't be alive, and he knew it.

After chatting for a few more minutes they paid and left, deciding to take a walk in the crowded city centre.

"So, out of pure curiosity, how did you end up in an American family?" Jack asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Good question. My dad never did tell me how he found out about me." Ianto said honestly with a shrug. "I just remember being in the hospital for a couple of weeks. I don't think they ever told my sister that I was there, and I had no other family. I never had any visitors. Then one day my mom and dad showed up asking if I'd like a new life somewhere else, a second chance of sorts."

"And you agreed?" Jack asked surprised.

"They took me out for the day. I spent time getting to know them. Dad said he was creating a home for kids that had gone through a rough life like he had. Kids like me that felt they had nothing left. I was to be the first resident if I agreed. He told me, it would be a clean slate. Not just a new home in a new city, but a new family in a new country. A real fresh start."

Ianto paused, unsure of what Jack was thinking about the whole thing. But then he continued.

"At dinner, my dad told me I had twenty four hours to decide whether or not to go with them. It took me all of five minutes to say yes."

"Just like that, you said yes?"

"Dad told me I didn't have to decide right then, but I just shrugged and told him I had made my decision. I said 'Why not? What have I got to loose?' And dad smiled at me and said 'nothing.'but you have everything in the world to gain.'"

"And did you gain everything?" Jack asked slowly.

Ianto smiled happily. "I've gained more then I could have ever imagined. While I've had some rough times in my life since, I wouldn't give up anything for the world."

Jack smiled and Ianto was surprised when he felt Jack take his hand and lace their fingers together.

He stiffened at first. It seemed just a little odd to be holding another man's hand, but in the end he relaxed and squeezed Jack's hand slightly to let him know that he was okay with the gesture. If Ianto was honest with himself, holding Jack's hand felt right, and he decided to ignore the occasional disapproving look, he was happy, and he swore he was going to stay that way, even if not everyone in the world agreed with what it was that was making him feel happy.

"So how many of your family members come from other countries?" Jack asked, swinging their hands a little.

Ianto put his free hand in his pocket and tried to think. "Well, within my cousins, I have no clue. My brothers and sisters I think we've got quite a few. Jeremy and Niles, the twin geniuses come from Ireland, Dafina came from Africa, she was deemed unadoptable when she continued to get into fights. Roderick, Braydon, Alan, and Lilly are Alistair's kids. Alan and Lilly were born in London and Roderick and Braydon were born in Cambridge. My sister Tanya came from Russia, Marina is from Venezuela, and my brother Gareth is from Cardiff like me. Though I just recently got to know him." he pointed out. "I have yet to meet him in person though."

"He's from Cardiff too? Does he sound like you?" Jack asked with an amused smile on his face.

"Nope. He was raised in Kentucky but managed to keep from getting that atrocious southern accent. So imagine me, if I had your accent and I spoke Spanish and Welsh, and that would be Gareth."

Jack stopped and starred. "Imagine you with my accent?" he asked.

Ianto grinned. "I have a twin brother that was taken by a friend of my family, I never knew about him because his adoptive mom got married to a guy in the U.S. Army and moved to the states. I found out about him when my brother said his new officer looked just like me. It's funny really. I'm Ianto Gareth, he's Gareth Ianto. We talk on the phone but never actually met."

"So there's two of you?"

"From what I hear, we're identical. The only difference is I wear a business suit with a tie and he wears a flight suit with gold wings." Ianto confirmed. "But don't even bother with Gareth, he's dating an ensign named Alonso."

At that Jack laughed. "Really? He's…..?"

"He's like me, stuck in the middle, swinging one way or the other. But in all honesty, you're the first guy I've ever really been attracted to. I've had one girlfriend when I went to university, and you."

"And I'm thrilled that I'm your first guy." said Jack, gently nudging him with a smile.

Ianto just chuckled and shook his head. "Of course, I'm pretty sure I'm not your first." he's pointed out.

"You're the first guy I've actually _dated_." Jack pointed out. There's a difference between going out on a pull and having an impersonal shag with a guy, and dating someone because you actually feel highly attracted to them."

"Well then I feel delighted that I'm the first guy you've ever actually dated." Ianto said with a tiny smile. But inside he was still enthralled by the fact that he was the first guy that Jack had ever felt so attracted to, and he could feel the honesty in that statement radiating from Jack, so he knew it was true giving him a warm feeling in his heart. Then he shivered slightly in the breeze.

"It's getting a bit chilly out." Jack said, obviously seeing Ianto shiver. "Why don't we go back to the hub for a bit?"

"And I'll make us each a cup of coffee." Ianto agreed.

"Sounds like a great way to end a date in my opinion." Jack grinned, making Ianto laugh. Then they journeyed back to the SUV.

.

After Ianto had made coffee the two of them sat in Jack's office enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of them.

Ianto was extremely content with where the odd relationship appeared to be going and he could tell that Jack was feeling the same way.

After they had finished their coffee, Ianto got up to take the mugs out to the kitchen to wash.

But just as he finished he was surprised to turn around and see Jack standing behind him.

"You know, I'll never understand why you just clean everything up no questions asked." Jack said, pulling Ianto into a tight embrace.

"Someone's got to clean up after you lot." he chuckled, wrapping his arms around Jack's waist. He looked up to see Jack smiling kindly at him.

"Well I suppose it's time for us to learn to clean up after ourselves." Jack said.

Ianto just smiled and gently kissed Jack's lips. "Like that's ever going to happen." he said with an amused smile.

"Hey, it could." Jack replied, returning the kiss.

As the kiss deepened Ianto could feel Jack's hands move under his suit jacket, and gently rub his back as he pulled Jack even closer.

"Maybe we should get out of the kitchen and someplace where there's no CCTV cameras." Ianto said as they broke apart for air.

"I thought you'd never ask." Jack said with a grin.

It wasn't long before the two were down in Jack's bunker and kissing passionately again.

Ianto moved Jack's braces off while Jack gently tugged at Ianto's tie. They walked the few step towards the tiny bed till Jack's legs hit the edge, then they fell onto the cot and just continued from there.

A couple of hours later Ianto found himself content in Jack's arms, the two of them curled up under the blanket together.

Jack had been so gentle that Ianto had trouble believing it was the same man he had fallen for.

Ianto knew that Jack was quite a flirter with a voracious sexual appetite, but instead Jack made sure that Ianto felt like he was the only thing that mattered in his world at that moment.

He jumped slightly with a tiny chuckle as Jack's fingers brushed the sensitive spot on his side.

"I forgot that you're ticklish." Jack chuckled.

"No you didn't." Ianto quipped.

"Alright, I didn't." the older man admitted.

Ianto just curled up closer to Jack, his head resting on Jack's chest. He felt extremely comfortable and happy with how they had ended the evening. He hoped that they would have another one like it sometime soon.

But just then he was brought out of his thoughts as the rift alarm sounded.

"Damn it!" Jack growled. "I was comfortable!"

Ianto smiled. "At least it waited till after we had our date." he pointed out, kissing Jack.

"True." Jack sighed.

"I was personally quite happy with how the night went." Ianto said honestly. "In fact, I wouldn't mind if we did it again, say maybe…. This Wednesday night, rift permitting of course."

Jack smiled. "Are you asking me out on a date Ianto Jones?"

"I believe I am." Ianto said with nod.

"Well, I suppose I have no choice but to accept. Wednesday night, rift permitting." he agreed.

"Great, then it's a date." said Ianto climbing out of bed. "now then, let's see what the rift spit out this time shall we?"

"I suppose." Jack sighed getting up and getting dressed like Ianto.

Ianto just smiled and shook his head. Then once he was dressed he headed upstairs, quite happy with the fact that he had asked Jack Harkness out on a date for Wednesday night, and suddenly, he couldn't wait for Wednesday to come around.

.

.

.

A/N: okay, I hope you guys liked it, let me know and I'll trying and type op the next chapter before bed tonight. I thank all of you faithful readers and reviewers! I never thought this story would get this far.


	19. a content evening

A/N: I figured since I skipped one night, you guys deserved two chapters tonight. And the story line is slowly getting to where it belongs. So I hope you guys keep enjoying this.

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Torchwood, whatever...

.

.

.

'Stupid rift.' had been Jack's first thought after the rift alarm had gone off. He had been so content to just lie in bed with Ianto in his arms for the rest of the night, but he should've known that something was going to get in the way and ruin it all.

Then the night just continued to get worse. Gwen had let out some alien gas, simple mistake… some people had died from some sex crazed alien….. Well… could've been worse he supposed. Gwen and Owen almost got into a tussle, that had been interesting, then Ianto randomly walked up with Chinese food for lunch making the day a little better.

All in all Gwen was slowly finding her way to fit in with the rest of the team. Of course, she did seem to try and flirt with Jack.

He was going to have to stop that, Jack decided. He was better off with Ianto who saw him as a fallible, unusual man as opposed to Gwen and her hero worship. While he admitted to himself that Gwen was pretty, and her flirting was a stroke to his ego, he wanted her to stick to her normal life, the one thing the rest of them would never have, and he didn't want to get into the way of that.

The weeks continued and Jack was enjoying how close he and Ianto had grown to be. They always tried to have at least one date a week, whether it was a lunch date or a dinner date, and they always spent the night together at either the hub or Ianto's flat.

Jack had come to love the time he spent at Ianto's flat. He relished in the small bit of domesticity it put into his life, and while he was always a man that loved to be out in the field and feel the adrenaline rush, he was starting to wish he could just settle down even for a little while.

Ianto was giving him that chance. While Jack could always give Ianto a life filled with the unexpected and aliens, Ianto gave Jack the chance to feel like an average human, and he realized he wouldn't give it up for anything.

Jack was officially in love, it was a feeling that both terrified him and excited him. But he found that the excitement well outweighed the terror.

Especially with how Ianto was always showing him how he cared.

.

Once such instance happened after a long day had caused the team to give Jack the cold shoulder.

Jack had lost Estelle whom he had loved so much, even after he had left her, and he had given Jasmine up to the ugly creatures.

Gwen finally saw that he could make mistakes, Owen and Tosh, well, they just plain seemed upset. As for Ianto, Jack hadn't seen him all day, but he was sure Ianto would be just as disappointed as the others.

Jack just told everyone to leave. He didn't want to deal with the dirty looks he was receiving from the people he was closest to. He just wanted to be left alone, feeling like a failure.

After a moment of sitting at his desk, he did something that he hadn't done since Ianto had stopped him after Suzie. He pulled out his Webley and put it to his head.

But when he pulled the trigger, all he heard was the click as the hammer came down and nothing happened. He paused and looked at the gun.

"Not tonight Jack." came Ianto's soft voice.

Jack looked up to see Ianto watching him from the doorway with a sad expression on his face his hands in his pockets.

"Ianto?"

Ianto walked over and pulled his left hand out of his pocket, dropping six bullets onto Jack's desk. "The other's all cornered me and decided I was the one they'd vent their frustration to. I figured that you'd be depressed enough to try, and I don't right fancy cleaning your blood of the wall tonight." he said with a small smile.

Jack sighed and put the webley down on the table. He knew that Ianto was letting him know just how much he cared and that the small snark was just Ianto's way of masking how worried he was. He jumped slightly when he felt Ianto wrap his arms around Jack's neck from behind.

"Come now Jack, at least Estelle had a nice long life." he whispered to him. "And a good life because she had the chance to meet you."

Jack couldn't help but smile a tiny smile as Ianto tried to make him feel better.

"You're no failure. The other's don't understand. They can easily think that there must be some better choice if you just sit and think, but there isn't always a better choice."

"Sometimes the right decision isn't the decision that will make everyone happy but it's the right decision none the less." Jack whispered, remembering their conversation over the glove.

"Exactly. You're the captain because you have to make the choices the rest of us can't make." Ianto said softly, gently kissing the side of his head.

Jack just leaned back in Ianto's embrace, feeling wonderfully comforted by the young man.

"Now then, why don't you come spend the rest of the evening at my flat? The rift's supposed to be quiet for the rest of the night, I can make us some dinner, and I think I know just the thing to cheer you up."

Jack let Ianto help him out of his chair, then he went down to his bunker to get a clean set of clothes before they grabbed their coats and left the hub.

As always the ride to Ianto's flat was silent giving Jack time to think and pull himself out of his melancholy mood.

"Feeling any better yet?" Ianto asked as they walked into the flat.

"Slightly." Jack admitted.

"Well then, I know the perfect thing." said Ianto with a grin as he checked his phone.

Jack looked at him with a raised brow.

"And that would be?"

He was surprised when Ianto gently steered him through the living room and to the small computer desk.

"Sit." Ianto said, pointing to the chair.

Jack did as he was told, completely perplexed as to Ianto's plans as he turned on the computer.

"Today was the first day of school back in California." said Ianto, typing away.

"So?" Jack said slowly.

"Kit wanted to tell us how his day went." Ianto grinned.

And it was then that a little screen popped up and he saw Kit and a little girl smiling.

"Hi Uncle Ianto! Hi Uncle Jack!" Kit said excitedly.

Jack grinned.

Ianto really had known just the thing to cheer Jack up. It was the chance to talk to who he now considered his surrogate little nephew, Kit via webcam.

"Hi Kit." said Jack cheerfully. "Who's your friend?"

"This is my little sister Lilly." Kit said, kissing the little girl's cheek and making her giggle.

"Well hello Lilly."

"Hi Uncle Jack!" the girl said with a smile.

"So, Ianto said today was your first day of school."

"Yup, and I got to wear my new school clothes today." said Kit proudly. "I wore a tie like Uncle Ianto and braces just like you!"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. He looked up to see Ianto smiling beside him.

"I told you that I knew just the thing to cheer you up." he said.

"How are you guys doin'?" Kit asked. "Did ya go out on that date yet?"

Jack laughed. The kid was smarter then he let on.

"We've had several actually." said Ianto, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder with a smile.

"Tara was right, you and uncle Ianto look like you go well together." said Lilly with a smile.

Jack noticed that Lilly was a peculiar little girl. She had long silvery hair with dark blue streaks, bright yellow eyes, and quite a few extra canines. Instead of the traditional four like most people, she had twelve and when she smiled it was obvious that she'd have quite a bite.

"I'm going to go start dinner, I'll let you two keep Jack busy." said Ianto. Then he gently kissed the top of Jack's head before walking into the kitchen making the children giggle.

"So then, how was class today?" Jack asked changing the subject.

After nearly forty five minutes of talking to Kit and Lilly, Ianto said it was time for dinner just as he heard a woman behind Kit and Lilly say it was snack time so the three said goodbye, and Jack turned off the computer before joining Ianto in the small dining room.

"Better now?" Ianto asked with a kind smile.

"Much better." Jack said, putting his arms around Ianto's waist and giving him a tight hug. "Thank you Ianto."

"I figured you'd had a rough day, so I called Sahara and asked if she could let the kids use the webcam to say hello when they got home from school. I knew they'd cheer you up." Ianto said, returning the hug.

Jack ducked down and gave Ianto a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Are you hungry?" Ianto asked after they broke apart.

"Getting there." he admitted.

"Good. Because dinner's ready." He said, giving Jack one final hug, then he turned around and headed over to the table.

Before long, Jack had to admit that despite the rough day, he was feeling much better. Ianto had done everything he could to make Jack feel better, and it worked.

Later that night, Jack was content as they both lay tangled together after quite an hour together. He had Ianto curled up in his arms, the young welshman's head resting on his bare chest after he had fallen asleep. Jack ran a gentle hand through Ianto's hair as he contemplated just how lucky he was to have such an understanding person beside him.

While Jack knew he couldn't be with Ianto for the rest of his unnaturally long life, he could be with him for as long as Ianto's life lasted, and he decided it was well worth the heartache he would eventually suffer. It wasn't every day you found an extraordinary person that could make your life seem worth while after over a century of living. Someone who would impact your life to the point you'd remember them for thousands of years to come. Yet here was Ianto, an average, 21st century, twenty four year old that could surprise him every day, and keep him grounded.

Jack tightened his grip around Ianto's waist ever so slightly. He wasn't going to give Ianto up for the world, and he prayed he'd never have to.

"Get some sleep Jack." came Ianto's sleepy voice.

"I thought you were asleep." Jack said softly.

"I was," he yawned. He looked up at Jack, resting his chin on Jack's sternum. "Are you alright?"

"Just thinking." Jack said with a shrug.

"Good thoughts or bad thoughts?"

"Wonderful thoughts about the most amazing young Welshman that I've been lying next to all night." he said honestly.

Ianto chuckled with a sleepy smile. "Well that's very flattering Jack, I just wish I was more awake to enjoy the comment. But it just so happens that I'm already drifting back off to sleep."

Jack chuckled softly as Ianto's eyelids fluttered open and closed. He leaned down and gave Ianto a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Go back to sleep Ianto. You could use the rest."

"So could you." Ianto quipped. "Night Jack…."

"Good night Ianto." he whispered back, gently rubbing Ianto's back as he drifted back off to sleep. He smiled then snuggled down under the covers beside the amazing young man, before letting out a content sigh, and joining Ianto in blissful sleep.

.

.

.

A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I figured since everyone enjoyed little Kit, I'd give him the chance to say hello, and admit that he had Jack influence him a little when it comes to school clothes. As always, you guys keep reviewing, I keep writing, and I thoroughly appreciate all of my faithful readers. You guys rock!


	20. a game of who snogged who

A/N: okay, finally back after Christmas, and we're at the wonderful, who snogged who scene. But this time, it's way better with no dirty looks from Jack, just a jealous one from Gwen. Thanks for being patient, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I dono't own Torchwood, and sadly I didn't get them for Christmas either.

.

.

.

Ianto knew it was going to be a long trip as the team headed out to the Brecons.

Jack had said that he wanted Ianto to get out into the field a little bit more, but Ianto had his doubts. He really wasn't sure about what was going to happen as he sat in between Tosh and Gwen in the backseat of the SUV, but his gut told him it wasn't going to be anything good.

Especially not with how much Owen was griping about nature.

Yes, it was going to be a long trip indeed.

After everyone had set up camp, Gwen decided to play a stupid childish game of who snogged who, which Ianto knew was going to end bad.

Of course the last person Gwen had snogged was Rhys, poor Tosh had snogged Owen who went and admitted that he snogged Gwen after picking on her.

Ianto just rolled his eyes. He could feel how upset Gwen was that Owen had admitted such a thing, Tosh felt disappointment that the man she crushed on just acted like constantly snogging others was an everyday occurrence.

When it was Jack's turn Ianto was really quite relieved that he easily evaded the question.

"What about you Ianto?" Gwen asked, turning to him.

"I do believe that the last person I snogged is really none of your business Gwen." he said cooly.

"Oh come on tea boy, you've got to have a life outside of work at some point, don't you have a girlfriend?" Owen asked.

"What does it matter to you whether or not I have a personal life?" he asked, smiling inwardly.

"Should have known." Owen scoffed. "You have no life."

Ianto could sense Jack's amusement as he continually evaded the question.

"Seriously Ianto, when was the last time you snogged somebody?" Gwen asked.

"This morning." Ianto admitted. He wanted to smile as he remembered the passionate make out session that he and Jack had shared that morning when they had woken up in Jack's bunker.

"So you have a girlfriend then?" Owen asked.

"That's none of your business." Ianto stated simply.

But soon the other three began hounding him making Jack laugh.

After a while Ianto decided that he wasn't going to hide, and besides, with the way Gwen flirted with Jack, it made him feel a bit possessive.

"Alright? You're that desperate to know the last person I snogged?" he questioned.

"Yes, we really want to know." said Tosh.

"Alright, the last person I snogged was Jack." he said looking at Jack who was beaming.

Owen spit out his water in shock. Gwen shot him a look of complete jealousy, and Tosh smiled proudly.

"You… you're serious?" Owen gasped.

Ianto and Jack nodded.

"Since when?" Tosh inquired.

"A couple of months now." Jack confirmed.

Silence fell between them all and Owen and Gwen obviously began to feel uncomfortable, so Owen suggested that he go get firewood, and Gwen decided to accompany him.

"I'm surprised you actually admitted that Ianto." said Jack with a smile.

"Gwen flirts with you too much." he said honestly. "Sometimes I guess I just feel a bit possessive when she does that."

"Gwen was so jealous! Did you see the look on her face, when you admitted that Jack was the last person you snogged?" Tosh giggled. "Priceless!"

"You don't seem that surprised." Jack pointed out.

"Oh please." Tosh scoffed. "I'm the one in the group that's closest to you two. I see how you guys look at each other."

"Very observant." Ianto said with a kind smile. He felt somewhat bad for Tosh, admitting she hadn't had anyone to kiss since Christmas.

"At least you two have each other." she sighed.

Ianto and Jack glanced at each other and looked at her sympathetically.

"Don't worry Tosh," he said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He also knew Owen felt for her, but he had no idea if Owen would ever decide to act on those feelings. So he just tried to make her feel better. "You'll find someone. If you really wanted I could always introduce you to one of my brothers, and most of them are the kind that would gladly chase after anyone that would mess with you. Of course, then Owen would have to watch his nose." he added thoughtfully. "They don't take kindly to people that hurt a girl's feelings."

Tosh finally laughed and Ianto knew he had made her feel better.

"Trust me Tosh, I've been warned against ever upsetting Ianto because if I do, Tara's more then likely going to send the rest of the family after me." Jack added with a smile. "I'd prefer to make good with the family and avoid a hefty beating."

"But despite it all, they're very loving, just…. Well, their not exactly diplomatic when it comes to certain situations, like making a close family friend or a sister cry." said Ianto, remembering some of the fights his older brothers had picked when a sister had cried. "So next time some of my siblings are nearby in London on shore leave, if Owen get's to you, let me know, they'll gladly have a word with him."

Tosh giggled, "I'll be sure to let you know Ianto." she said with a smile.

Ianto smiled and gently kissed her cheek. "You're like a sister to me Tosh. I don't take kindly to people hurting your feelings, especially Owen. He may be a friend, but that's not right of him."

"You make quite an overprotective brother, don't you?" Tosh said, hugging him.

"You have no idea." Ianto responded with a smile.

Just then Gwen and Owen came running back with the news that they had found a body in the forest, and then everything returned to serious work.

.

.

.

Yay! Ianto admitted he was snogging Jack! Whoo! What next, I'll try and get up another chapter in a bit, then it'll just keep getting interesting from there!


	21. A chat in the hospital

A/N: since we just finished off the Christmas holidays, I figured I'd give my wonderful readers and faithful reviewers a Christmas gift of a second chapter in one day. Enjoy guys!

Disclaimer: I would love to own torchwood, but I don't...

.

.

.

'What a mess.' Jack sighed to himself. 'My first try in taking Ianto out into the field, and this is what it turned into.'

He had been so proud of Ianto for admitting to everyone that he was with Jack, he knew Ianto was quite introverted and kept to himself around others. Jack also understood it was a big step for them. But before he could actually say anything, Gwen and Owen had returned after finding a body.

Hours later Gwen had been shot, Tosh and Ianto had been kidnapped by cannibals, Ianto had almost been eaten, and now Jack was just suffering a nasty headache.

Gwen was whining and acting petulant to get attention as the paramedics and Owen checked her over, and it was making Jack's headache worse.

He walked over to Ianto and Tosh who were sitting in the boot of the SUV, wrapped in blankets and looking far more worse for wear.

"Are you two feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm not sure about Ianto though." Tosh whispered.

Jack saw that Ianto was starring at the ground, his breathing coming though in short wheezes. He leaned down a little to see that Ianto's eyes had regained the haunted look that they had once had that night Jack had found him in the SUV after they had caught Myfanwy. Only this time, they were even darker, as if there was nothing left in the young man.

"Ianto?" Jack asked softly, gently resting a hand on Ianto's shoulder.

Ianto suddenly jumped and let out a terrified yelp as he tried to move away from Jack's touch, scaring both him and Tosh. He was now huddled in the corner of the boot, his breathing even heavier, and obviously very difficult, as he his body quaked with bone racking shivers.

"Jack, what's wrong with him?" Tosh cried worriedly.

Jack was very worried now. He had never seen Ianto react so violently. He felt fear grip him, but then he remembered what Kit had told him to do in order to help. So he tried to calm down and fill himself with content thoughts, as he tried to reach out to Ianto.

"It's okay Ianto, come on, come back to me, please?" he said softly, leaning in and reaching towards Ianto. "Please, let me take care of you."

It was like trying to coax a terrified kitten to come towards him. Ianto's eyes slowly focused but he still didn't move.

"Come on Ianto." he said softly. "We need to have someone check on you."

Ianto shook his head. "I don't….. want to….. Move." he said slowly.

Jack could hear that his breaths were coming in soft pants. Something was very wrong with Ianto's chest, that was obvious. He needed to get Ianto looked at, but the way Ianto was closing in on himself, it'd be near impossible.

"Tosh, go get Owen." Jack whispered to Tosh who was now standing beside him.

Tosh nodded then quickly ran off to go find Owen.

Jack climbed up into the boot of the SUV and sat down beside him. "Come on Ianto, you have to talk to me, what's wrong?"

"It hurts…. For me… to breathe." he gasped.

"Then we need someone to take a look at your ribs." Jack said sternly.

Just then Tosh and Owen ran up.

"Alright, what's wrong with you then tea boy?" Owen asked trying to be snarky, but failing as his voice cracked with worry.

"I think something is wrong with his ribs Owen, he's having trouble breathing." Jack said.

It took a lot more coaxing just to get Ianto to let Owen near him. In the end Jack had to join Tosh outside while Owen joined the young man in the SUV.

After several minutes Owen got out with a heavy sigh. "I had to give him a sedative, just so he'd let me check him over. We need the paramedics to take him to the hospital, there's something very wrong with his ribs and he's pretty beat up." Owen explained.

Jack didn't want to take any chances with Ianto's health, so they called the paramedics over and had Ianto rushed to the hospital.

Owen had ridden to the hospital with Gwen, and Jack took Tosh home before heading straight to the hospital to be with Ianto.

When he had arrived, Ianto was still asleep, and the doctor had assured him that he would be unconscious for another couple of hours. So he headed back to Ianto's flat to pick up a few things to help make Ianto feel better.

But as he stood in the doorway, he really had no idea what Ianto favored when it came to basic comforts.

So Jack started by grabbing a fresh set of clothes out of Ianto's closet, and it was then that he saw a giant plush polar bear sitting on the shelf.

It was the one from the picture of Ianto in the hospital with his father.

Jack smiled and picked up the large toy, holding it tightly. He remembered Tara once telling him about how Ianto would always hug the giant bear whenever he would first return home, or whenever he had fallen ill. He picked up a duffle bag off the floor and packed the bear inside, along with a set of clean clothes. Then he walked out into the kitchen and found a pack of Oreo cookies in the cupboard before placing them in the bag as well.

After one last look around the flat he headed back to the hospital.

At the hospital, Ianto was still asleep, the bruises on his arms showing dark in stark contrast to his pale skin. According to the doctor he had suffered a mild concussion, and several cracked and broken ribs along with severe bruising over much of his body. He would recover, but it was going to take him a while.

Jack felt terrible as he stood over the young man he had come to love. The young man that had made him forget that the doctor was going to come and fix him. He felt like it was his fault that this had happened.

Ianto had made it clear that he was perfectly content with keeping the archives and the tourist office clean and organized, he wanted nothing to do with the field besides the occasional weevil hunt. Not after what he went through at Canary Wharf.

But Jack had wanted him out in the field. He wanted Ianto to be able to run Torchwood while he was gone with the doctor. He knew the young man could do it because he could see every angle of every case with a clear head unlike the others, he could deal with the red tape and paperwork, he was best at dealing with the prime minister and UNIT liaisons. Ianto would be the perfect one to run Torchwood.

Of course now Jack didn't want to be gone for too long. For years had had wanted to join the doctor on adventures again, just escape the world he was living in, but not with Ianto in his life. Now he wanted the doctor to fix him, and give him the chance to be with Ianto, to have a normal life with him where they could actually live and age together. That was his dream now.

Jack let out a heavy sigh as he sat down in the chair. He wondered if Ianto would blame him for everything that had happened that day. He hoped not. He glanced over at Ianto who looked like he was in a peaceful sleep. Then he smiled a tiny bit.

Jack had decided to do what Ianto's father had done so many years before. He had gently placed the giant bear on Ianto's chest and rested it's front paws on the young man's shoulders, it's nose resting on his.

The nurse had grinned when she had come in to check Ianto's vitals. Of course, when she asked about Jack's relationship, Jack had fibbed, saying he was Ianto's brother and he was the only family Ianto had in the country. He hadn't been sure if Ianto would have wanted everyone to know that they were together, and the hospital usually said that only immediate family was allowed in after visiting hours, and he didn't know if the hospital would consider him immediate family being Ianto's 'boyfriend' or 'lover', or whatever other quaint little label 21st century humans came up with.

After a while Ianto had begun to stir and Jack watched as he came to focus on the bear resting on his chest. He gingerly lifted his arms and wrapped it around the giant bear pulling it down and burying his face in the soft plushie.

"Feeling any better?" Jack asked softly, so as not to startle Ianto.

Ianto looked up and smiled a tiny bit. "Hi there stranger." he said, his voice harsh but quiet.

Jack grinned. It had been the same thing that he had said to Ianto when he had first come around all those months ago. He moved his chair to the edge of the bed and gently placed a hand on Ianto's arm. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better obviously." he shrugged. "How bad was it?"

"A mild concussion, and a few cracked and broken ribs."

"Oh, so that's why it's hard to breathe." Ianto quipped.

"Exactly."

"Thanks for bringing my teddy Jack." he said, hugging the giant bear a little tighter, his head buried under the bear's head.

"I wanted to try and find something that would help you feel better, and I remember Tara telling me how much you loved that old bear." Jack said, leaning down and resting his chin on the mattress so that he and Ianto were eye to eye.

Ianto smiled and leaned in to kiss him making Jack grin.

"Thanks Jack."

"You're welcome Ianto. But for the record, I'd be careful if the nurse sees us kissing, I told her I was your brother since they said only immediate family could stay after visiting hours."

Ianto just blinked then smiled and shook his head. "Really Jack? You could've just said that you were my partner."

"How am I to know what I would be considered?" he shrugged with an embarrassed smile. "I didn't know what I could tell her that would make them let me stay."

"Well your certainly no brother of mine." Ianto said with a soft chuckle, wincing slightly at the pain it caused in his ribs.

The two sat in silence for a moment until Ianto spoke again.

"Jack, can I have the week off?" he asked slowly.

"Of course Ianto, you need to rest anyway." Jack pointed out.

"I'd like to go home."

"The doctor said you might be able to go home tomorrow."

"I mean home Jack, to my family."

It was then that Jack began to feel the guilt. Maybe Ianto really did believe that the whole day had been his fault, and now Ianto just wanted to be away from him. He just hoped that Ianto wouldn't actually send the family after him.

"Stop that Jack." said Ianto sternly, surprising him.

"Stop what?"

"Stop berating yourself. This wasn't you're fault."

Jack sighed. Ianto really did know him too well.

"It was my fault Ianto. I'm the one who wanted you out in the field. If I hadn't of insisted, this wouldn't have happened." he sighed.

Ianto reached out and gently caressed Jack's cheek. "It wasn't your fault. You could never have expected cannibals. Besides, if I hadn't gone, if I hadn't been there, what would have happened to Tosh? Now that it's all over, while I'm still a bit broken from the whole thing, I'd rather it be that I'm the one that came close to being eaten as opposed to you coming back without Tosh because she was eaten."

"Tosh told me how you gave her the chance to run."

"Even though it didn't work for long, at least it distracted them long enough and none of us were eaten." Ianto admitted.

Jack leaned over and gently kissed Ianto's forehead. "So then, why do you want to leave?"

"Jack, I haven't seen my family since Canary Wharf, and even then, I didn't really get the chance to see anyone. Besides, my brother's getting married next week. Kit's dad. He wanted me to be his best man and I was afraid that I would have to tell him no. And I just need a chance to get away for a while. A chance to feel like I don't have to worry about Torchwood, or the rift, or aliens, or anything at all. Just for a little while."

Jack finally understood. At least he knew Ianto wasn't upset with him.

"I actually have a few brothers and sisters that I haven't met yet. Ones that just joined the family a couple of months ago." Ianto added. "So don't you dare think for one moment I want to leave because you did something wrong."

Jack let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I was just worried that maybe I had messed up so much that you just wanted to leave." he admitted, voicing his biggest fear.

Ianto gave him a sincere smiled and shook his head. "If you ever did something to upset me Jack, I'd never just leave. I'd want to talk first."

"So you'd want to talk then leave? That's not much better." he said, suddenly frightened.

"No, no, no." Ianto said quickly, gently grabbing Jack's hand. "I'd want to talk and try to work it out. Okay? Like normal couples do, even though we are quite unconventional."

Jack finally smiled and relaxed a bit. "Alright. I understand now." he said with a nod. "Don't let me get in the way of your family. Family comes first, everything else comes second."

"How about, family first, you second, Tosh, Owen, And Gwen third, then Torchwood fourth? I like that list much better." Ianto said with a smile.

Jack grinned. "Agreed. I like that list quite a bit."

"I just don't want you thinking your second best to anything Jack." Ianto said, gently squeezing his hand.

"I'm fine, I know I'm not second best because there's no reason to compete with family. If there was another guy or girl pining for your romantic affection though, that's another story."

"This coming from the man that flirts with anyone and anything?" Ianto said with a chuckle.

"Hey, I've gotten better." Jack pointed out. It was true, he had gotten much better. He didn't flirt anywhere near as much as he used to. He didn't have to, he was content with just flirting with the man in front of him.

"I have noticed that." Ianto said honestly. "Like when Gwen flirts, you don't actually flirt back."

"I don't have to." Jack shrugged. "While she's pretty and feisty Gwen needs to stick to Rhys. He'll keep her grounded. I've got you, and you keep my attention and my affection because you never cease to amaze me. That and I don't want your family coming after me."

Ianto finally laughed, and Jack saw the sparkle come back to the young man's eyes. He may have been broken, but it was obvious he wasn't beyond repair, and Jack wanted to make sure that he would do everything in his power to fix all of the shattered pieces that made up the man he loved.

"So, would you really send your brother's after Owen?" he asked slowly.

"I care about Owen, he's a good friend, but he had no right to tease Tosh the way he did, he really hurt her. If he hurts Tosh again, then I'll have a stern talk with him. If he does it a second time, well then I'll be far more inclined to bring a brother or two over to say hello when they come visit. I do know one of my brother's that would be perfect for Tosh."

Jack smiled. "Do you now?"

"He's a computer wiz himself, and really nice. His name is James and he's one Owen wouldn't want to cross." Ianto said with a wicked grin.

"Why's that? He'll fry Owen's computer?" Jack asked with a raised brow.

"Have you ever heard of the U.S. Navy SEALs Jack?"

Jack shook his head slowly. "No, why?"

"They're the Navy's elite special forces. They come over and train with the British SAS units all of the time. The guys are insane, they love to jump out of planes, the ocean is like a second home to them, and their impeccably strong. The best of the best they say, and not the type you'd want to upset. James is a Lieutenant."

Jack gulped. That sounded like a guy that he didn't want coming after him if he upset Ianto. If Ianto sent the guy after Owen, well, Owen would be in for a hard time. "Don't send him after Owen. I need my medic." he finally said.

"Just a broken nose?" Ianto suggested.

Jack finally smiled and shook his head. Ianto really could be quite devious if he wanted to. "No, I need my medic."

"Alright, what about just a scare?"

Jack sat and pretended to think. "Alright, but just a scare."

Ianto smiled. "I personally think James would be good for Tosh, when he saw a picture of us, he said he thought she was very pretty and started asking all sorts of questions about her. I don't know if they'd be able to date. But they'd make good friends and Tosh does need some more friends."

"So do you." Jack pointed out.

"I have friends, I just have to get back in touch with them." Ianto said with a smile. "Which I hope to do while I'm home."

"Well then be sure to do that, and tell the obnoxious anteater I said hello while your at it."

Ianto grinned. "I would be more then happy to give Aldair your condolences." he said. "And Jack?"

"Yes Ianto?"

"Thanks, for distracting me. That's all I needed to feel better. When your happy and you feel content, it definitely makes me feel better too."

"Well then I'll continue to do my best to make you feel better." said Jack with a smile. He leaned in and gave Ianto a quick kiss on the lips. Then sat back just in time as the nurse came in to check on Ianto, smiling when she saw him awake.

But as she checked on him Jack couldn't help but wonder. A week without Ianto? Sadly enough, he had no idea how he was going to cope with that. But he knew he'd do his best. After everything Ianto had done for him and Torchwood three, he deserved a week to see his family and go to his brother's wedding and Jack would just have to learn to deal with it.

.

.

.

A/N: Oooh, it sounds like a trip into Ianto's family may be in the very near future. I'm still wondering how this will turn out. I hope you guys enjoy the family. Thanks to all of my faithful reviewers! Since you review, I keep writing, and this story keeps going. You guys rock!


	22. Ianto heads off to see family

A/N: alright, this is kind of a little filler chapter that leads to the family. Not my best work, but it's enough to bridge the gap.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Torchwood.

.

.

.

Ianto was tired and sore as he sat at home packing his bag.

Jack had brought him home earlier that morning and he had called Alistair excitedly telling him that he would be able to come home. His plane would leave from London early the next morning and Jack had volunteered to take him to the airport.

But for now Jack was back at the hub filling out the paperwork, and Ianto was sitting at his flat alone.

Ianto paused his packing with a sigh. Then he looked at the giant teddy that was on his bed and smiled.

Despite all of his bluster and bravado, and the strong front that he put up, Jack was really quite sentimental and in all honesty, he could be quite sweet. The fact that he cared enough to try and bring some little comforts from home just to make Ianto feel better, it showed just how much he really cared, and it made Ianto feel…. Loved.

He just wasn't sure how Jack was going to get some things done without him, but instead of doubting, he tried to put faith in the man, hoping he would at least get half of the paperwork done before Ianto returned.

Once Ianto was almost finished packing, he heard a soft knock on the door. So he went to answer it and was surprised to see Tosh smiling at him.

"Hey Ianto, I heard they let you go home today, so I came to say hello and make sure you're doing alright." she said with a grin.

"Well come on in, I could use the company. Jack is at the hub finishing up the paperwork, so it's just me right now." he said, stepping aside so Tosh could walk inside.

"You know, all these months and I do believe this is the first time I've ever been to your flat." she pointed out with a smile.

"Well, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cup of coffee Tosh?"

"Actually, do you think I could have some tea Ianto?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll be right back."

Ianto smiled as he made Tosh a cup of tea. She really was like a sister to him and he didn't appreciate the way Owen had been treating her.

"So, are you planning on going somewhere?" Tosh asked, indicating the stack of books by the backpack resting against the coffee table.

Ianto handed her the cup of tea before sitting down beside her. "I'm actually going back home for a week. My brother's wedding is on Saturday. But it's quite a long flight, so I always make sure I've got plenty of books to read." he explained.

"Ah. So you're going to see Kit and Tara huh?"

"Kit's dad is the one that's getting married."

"Well then, do you think you could take them something for me? I found these neat little trinkets when I went shopping a couple of weeks ago and I thought of the two of them, so I got them hopping you could send them for me."

"I'd be happy to take whatever you got them Tosh." he said smiling. "Have you talked to Tara lately?"

"We had a nice little chat online the other night after Tara had gotten home from school. She was telling me about her P.E. teacher who apparently isn't the brightest teacher of the bunch."

Ianto couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"But when I get to chat with Tara, it definitely makes my day a little brighter. She knows just what to say to make me laugh." Tosh admitted.

Kit and Tara had definitely made an impression on the Torchwood group in that one small week that they had been there, and it made Ianto happy to know that they could make Tosh smile even while they were away.

"So Kit's daddy is getting married huh? I thought Kit had a mum." said Tosh.

"Sahara and Alistair have been dating for as long as I've known them. About fourteen years actually, and they've been living together for three. So for the rest of us, we're all saying it's about time." Ianto shrugged.

"Sahara, that's a pretty name."

"I love Sahara. She's always acted like a sister towards me. Ever since I joined the family. Though God forbid you make her angry. I didn't know it was possible for someone to mix, Spanish, English, and Swedish, but she does, especially when her and her sister Savannah would go at it."

"That just sounds bizarre."

"It is bizarre. But you get used to it because everyone in the family is odd in their own little way." Ianto said with a smile before taking a sip of his coffee.

"And how are you bizarre? You're quieter then I am."

Ianto chuckled. They really had no idea how out there he could be. "I've got my ways, trust me. I can be just as unusual as the rest."

"I'd love to see that." said Tosh.

Ianto smiled. "Alright then, let me show you my favorite 'toy'." he said standing up. He walked over to his shelf and picked up a small tin. "Take this for instance." he said pulling out the piece of chalk. "My nephew made it for me. It's magic chalk."

Tosh let out a snort of laughter. "Magic chalk? Come on Ianto. Aliens are one thing. But magic?" she scoffed.

Ianto smiled and drew a squiggly line that appeared shimmering in the air. "My nephew uses formulas instead of spells, and he uses this chalk to draw them. I use it to help me organize the archives." he said, wiping the line out of the air.

"It's got to be a trick." said Tosh standing up and joining him.

Ianto handed over the chalk and she sat and inspected it. Then she drew a circle in the air.

"Okay, it's got to be alien of some sort." she said.

"What would an alien do with chalk?" Ianto sighed shaking his head.

"Don't know. Why would someone who can use magic use chalk?"

"I already told you." said Ianto. "I thought Tara told you about our Uncle."

"I still have trouble believing it." she sighed.

Ianto shook his head and put the chalk away. "In my family, you learn to believe in the impossible, and no, not every impossible thing can be chalked up to aliens and rift activity."

"I will keep that in mind." she said with a smile.

After another hour Tosh left and Ianto continued to pack his bags, then he straightened up his flat before starting dinner, knowing Jack was going to be hungry when he got there.

But as he was stirring the stew, he was surprised when he felt gentle arms wrap around his waist as a familiar scent wafted through the air. He turned his head to see Jack with his chin resting on Ianto's shoulder.

"You were so quiet I didn't know you came in." he said with a tiny smile.

But Jack said nothing, he just continued to hug Ianto from behind.

"Are you alright Jack?" Ianto asked, concerned. He could feel Jack's emotions running rampant in his mind. He wondered if it had something to do with the papers Jack had worked on all day or something else. "Jack?"

"It's just been a long day of complicated paperwork that reminded me of things I don't want to think about." Jack said softly. He took a deep breath and Ianto could feel his emotions calm before he smiled a little. "I see you've started dinner."

"I figured you'd be hungry. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine. Like I said, it's just been a long day." Jack admitted. Then he gave Ianto a gentle kiss on the cheek. "So, what's for dinner."

"Lamb stew." he said with a smile.

"Perfect. That'll definitely help me feel better."

Ianto smiled and turned in Jack's arms then kissed him hard on the lips. "What about that? Did that help you feel any better?"

"Oh absolutely." said Jack with a smile.

Ianto just chuckled and shook his head, then he turned back to dinner.

He was surprised when dinner was really silent, and he was beginning to wonder if he had done the wrong thing by leaving for the week after such a difficult mission. But he knew he needed to go home.

That night the two went to bed together and Ianto noticed that it was different from usual. There was something very strange about the way Jack had been acting and it came through as they lay in bed together. Some pent up emotion that Ianto couldn't quite read.

"I'm going to miss you while your gone." Jack whispered as they lay together in the dark after nearly an hour of silence.

"You'll only miss my coffee." Ianto quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

But Jack remained serious as he tightened his grip, ever so slightly on Ianto's waist. "No, I'll miss you. Definitely you." he said.

Ianto gently ran a hand through Jack's hair, the man's head resting on his chest. "I'll be back, it's not like I'm leaving forever. Just a week, then I'll be back." he said kindly.

"I know. But that doesn't mean I won't miss you." Jack pointed out.

"I know. And I'll miss you too. But it'll just make it all the better when I get back." Ianto said.

Jack finally smiled a little. "True." he agreed. "and just so you know Ianto, if I ever leave, I'll come back too."

Ianto couldn't help but chuckle softly. "And where are you going to go? Torchwood is your home, your life."

"You're my life too you know." Jack said honestly.

Ianto smiled softly and gently kissed the top of Jack's head. "I know you'll come back, just don't wait too long, just remember that unlike you, I'll still age. So if you leave and you come back, make it snappy."

Jack laughed. "I'll definitely keep that in mind," he said with a smile. "But for now, you've got an early flight to catch. Let's go to sleep."

And with that Ianto closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, Jack curled up in his arms.

.

But soon the alarm clock rang and they knew it was time to get up.

Both men grumbled and groaned as they somehow pulled themselves out of their bed, and into the shower together, Ianto only able to get him out when he laughed about missing his flight.

The care ride was mostly silent as they headed all the way to London, but when it was time for Ianto to leave, Jack didn't want to let go.

"Jack, I have to go." Ianto sighed after nearly fifteen minutes.

Jack looked at him like a lost puppy and Ianto had to admit, it did hurt when Jack looked at him that way.

"One week Jack. Just one week. I'll be sure to call you as soon as I get there." Ianto said.

"Promise?"

"Are you really going to miss me that much? For one week?" Ianto asked astonished.

"I'll miss you quite a bit. Who else actually makes me get my work done?"

"Good point." Ianto said with a grin. "I'll be sure to call you every night to make sure you finish it all. And if not, then it's going to be another very long week for you after I get back."

Jack finally laughed a bit. "Alright. I'll be sure to get all of my paperwork done so as not to anger you."

"Make sure of that. Now be good, don't let any weevils ruin your coat, and try to get your work done. Now then, I have to go, or I'll miss my flight okay?"

"Alright."

Ianto gave Jack a tight hug, then gave him a kiss good bye. Before heading through the security check point.

As he sat waiting for the flight, he had to admit, he felt bad leaving Jack when he appeared to be so fragile again. But he had already promised his family. He suddenly wished he had invited Jack to go along with him.

But as his flight was called he cleared his thoughts, and mentally prepared himself for the long ten hour flight ahead. He was finally going home, and there was no turning back.

.

.

.

A/N: Aww... Jack's really gonna miss Ianto. But not for long! Wanna know why? Well read on and you'll find out!


	23. a strange invitation and quite a family

A/N: and now, the most recent thing you've all been waiting for... meeting some more of Ianto's family! Whoo! Hope you guys like them, they are a bit out there!

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Torchwood, if I did, the story would've been more like this instead.

.

.

.

It had been two days since Ianto had left and Jack could hardly believe how lost he felt without Ianto around to help him. He actually spent both nights at Ianto's flat and he had found himself hugging the giant polar bear that had made Ianto feel better. He always promised not to get so attached to anyone.

"So much for that idea Harkness." Jack sighed to himself as he headed into the hub one morning. "Who would've thought that I could feel so lost with him gone for just a few days, I don't even want to know what it's going to feel like if I leave with the doctor."

But he tried not to give himself too much time for thought, so he made himself a cup of coffee and went to his office to do some paperwork.

"Some paperwork ought to help me actually stop thinking for a while." he said to himself as he sat down, but as he was about to reach for a file, he spotted a medium sized manila envelope on his desk with his name on it in unfamiliar handwriting. "Now what could this be?" he wondered, as he reached for the envelope.

"Jack!" Tosh's voice drifted in from the cog door as the alarm sounded.

"In here Tosh!" he called out to her.

Tosh walked in and smiled. "Still feeling a bit lost without Ianto?" she asked kindly.

"A little." he said honestly.

Tosh sat down in front of him. "Well you're damn good at hiding it, I don't think Owen and Gwen suspect. Though that may just be because of the fact that they've become too infatuated with each other."

Jack shook his head with a small smile. He was glad Ianto wasn't there, feeling whatever twisted emotions were coming from the two. "Figures, I tell Gwen to keep hold of her normal life and this is what happens. So much for that thought." he sighed.

Tosh just shook her head in agreement, but Jack could see that she was somewhat hurt by what Owen had been doing. But then she smiled a little. "So, Ianto was telling me about this brother of his that he'd like to introduce me to. A man named James in the U.S. Navy."

Jack laughed a bit. "Ianto did tell me that you two seem to have a bit in common." he admitted.

"He sounds nice. He showed me a picture. He's really quite handsome, makes Owen look a bit, well… wimpy." she whispered the last word making Jack laugh even more. "The man's more handsome then you in my opinion."

Jack feigned hurt. "Oh Tosh, how could you say such a thing?" he said with a playful pout.

"Oh please, I know you better then that." Tosh giggled. "He really is handsome though, and Ianto said he's very nice. I really would like to meet him sometime."

"Knowing Ianto, I'm sure he'll do his best to give you the chance."

"So anyway, what's with the random envelope. Where'd it come from?" she asked, nodding to the envelope in his hands.

"Good question, I was just about to open it and find out when you came in." he said, opening the flap. He turned the envelope over and dumped the contents out on his desk, before picking up the first thing on the top.

It looked like quite a fancy invitation with dark aquamarine and pink flowers embellished on it, along with a black and white striped ribbon tied around the middle of it.

"Ooh, what's that?" Tosh asked.

Jack looked down at the paper in curiosity.

It read:

'you are cordially invited to the wedding of :

Alistair James Berkenbridge

And

Sahara Gabriella Delgado

On September 5th 2006 in San Diego California.'

But then the invitation got a little odd in Jack's opinion.

'Inside this envelope you will find a plane ticket for later tonight, and a legal U.K. passport, I will arrive to pick you up at LA airport tomorrow morning. Do not even think about turning this invitation down, Jack Harkness, or you will have my temper to deal with.

Yours truly,

Alistair Berkenbridge.'

Jack gulped.

Alistair was Kit's father, the giant with a terrifying temper, and he was inviting Jack to the wedding.

He picked up the rest of the documents in the envelope and sure enough, there was a plane ticket for a flight out of London at 2200, and a passport with his name, his picture, and everything else in order, besides a fabricated birthday, saying that he was only thirty five years old.

"What is it Jack?" Tosh asked.

"It's a wedding invitation to the wedding of Kit's mom and dad, and a plane ticket for tonight."

"Are you going to go?"

"Well, considering I'll apparently anger him if I do, and I'd prefer not to get on the man's bad side, I really don't have much of a choice do I?" Jack asked with a tiny smile.

"Ooh! Lucky you! You get to meet Ianto's enigmatic family!" said Tosh excitedly. "If you meet that James fellow, do find out what he's like for me will you?"

Jack laughed. "I don't know if I can go Tosh. I should probably stay here."

"Oh don't you dare turn that man down Jack Harkness! Look at all of the trouble he went through to get you out there. Buying you a plane ticket and all. That's really rather kind of him. Besides! You'll be there with Ianto! I'm sure Ianto would be thrilled to have you there with him!"

"Are you sure Tosh?"

"Positive, we can hold down the fort for a few days. The rift predictor has been saying we'll have a quiet week. Not a whole lot to worry about, and besides you need to get out for a bit. A trip out of the country would be perfect for you Jack!" she insisted.

"I suppose I have been sitting in Cardiff for far too long." he said thoughtfully.

"Just think that you'll be with Ianto tomorrow if you accept." she said, trying to tempt him.

Jack smiled. It was true, he'd be with Ianto by tomorrow afternoon if he took the invitation, and he really did need a chance to get out and away from Torchwood, much like Ianto had.

"Then between you and Mr. Berkenbridge, I suppose I have no choice. I guess that means I better pack my bags for tonight."

Tosh smiled.

"Are you going to be alright here with Owen and Gwen while I'm gone?" he asked.

"I'll survive. If Owen gets too obnoxious, I'll just sit and think of what Ianto will do when he gets back," she admitted with a smile.

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "He definitely makes a good overprotective brother." he pointed out.

"Now then, go get packing before the other's get in." she said with a wink. Then she stood up and left.

Jack looked down at the documents one last time before jumping up and heading down to his bunker.

After he had packed, Jack spent the rest of his day working diligently on his paper work so Ianto wouldn't be too upset with him.

When there had been a weevil sighting he had sent Gwen and Owen out to deal with the mess while he and Tosh talked for a bit.

If he were honest with himself, Jack could hardly wait to send the others home, and when he did, he was immediately out of the hub and hailing a taxi all the way to London.

At the airport, Jack had been surprised at how easily they had accepted his passport, and soon he was on a direct flight to Los Angeles California, knowing it was going to be quite a trip indeed.

Jack slept through most of the flight, he hadn't really thought of bringing books like Ianto had. But he needed the sleep anyway and when the plane touched down, he could already see that it was quite a sunny morning.

Walking through the airport Jack felt like he was in very unfamiliar territory, something he had not experienced since he last traveled with the doctor. It was the feeling of venturing into someplace new, and it actually made him feel quite excited.

After walking past the security checkpoint, he had no idea where to go and he found himself standing in the middle of an atrium, completely lost.

"Still wearing that coat after all of these years are you?"

Jack whirled around and found himself starring at a giant with two men standing on either side of him. Two identical twins in fact.

"Hello Mr. Harkness." both said politely.

It didn't take Jack long to recognize all three.

"You remember Roderick and Braydon don't you?" the giant asked.

Jack nodded.

It had been a case in 1936. One that dealt with Torchwood London. There were rumors of a woman who had given birth to a demon child that she wanted to drown in the Thames. They said he had the yellow eyes of the devil and teeth like a shark's, and that he was the son of a giant named Alistair Hadrian.

Torchwood London had taken interest in the case, figuring that the man must have been some kind of alien. So they searched for the child, and when they couldn't find it, they kidnapped the giant's two adopted sons. A pair of sixteen year old twin boys, and their American friend.

Jack had disagreed with Torchwood's methods at the time so he had tried to intervene. He faced being charged with treason to help the man get the three boys back.

And now they were standing right in front of him, looking like they had hardly aged.

"How old are you two by now?" he asked slowly.

"Twenty seven." they replied in unison.

Jack felt perplexed. "But last time I saw you, you two were only sixteen, in 1936. You should both be well into your eighties."

"The time lines in our family sometimes get more complicated then even yours." the man chuckled. "I rescued them, and brought them here."

"How did you end up with the name Berkenbridge? Wasn't your last name Hadrian?"

"You remember me as Alistair Lucilius Hadrian, Jack. I've just…. Changed a bit." Alistair shrugged with a smile.

"Right. So…. Why invite me to your wedding?"

"Two reasons. Number one, we've been wanting you to meet the family for quite a while now. Number two, I needed another groomsman, and you will be filling that spot, so we'll get your tux fitted tomorrow when we take Ianto."

Jack starred. "You want me to….?"

"Yup. Anyway, come on now, we've got quite a drive ahead of us." said Alistair. Then he brushed past Jack and led the way before he could say another word.

Jack just followed the giant and the twins silently, his mind a hurricane of jumbled thoughts as they led him out to the parking garage.

"So, where exactly am I staying?" Jack asked as he got into the car.

"You'll be staying at Midnightstar Sanctuary." explained Alistair. "It's where most of the younger siblings live, like Ianto."

"Interesting name." Jack admitted.

"There are two Sanctuaries." one of the twins said. "The original is Midnight Sanctuary, run by Uncle Conner, he was my teacher actually. But that one's been around since 1883 and it's in the mountains in Virginia. They're considered our cousins."

"Midnightstar Sanctuary was started about ten years ago by Grandpa Quentin." the other twin said. "Ianto was the first one to live there. Uncle Conner get's the severely damaged average children, Grandpa Quentin takes in the more….peculiar ones."

"Like the ten year old chemistry wiz and the nine year old computer hacker?" Jack inquired.

"Exactly." Alistair agreed. "We have all sorts in the family. Like Alan, who could actually rival you in how many times he's been shot in the head."

Jack could hardly believe his ears. It was then that he realized, when Ianto had told him that everyone could always find someone to relate to in his family, he hadn't been joking. That was also the first time that Jack really began to wonder what he had just gotten himself into.

It had been an interesting car ride, getting to know the twins and Alistair.

Roderick was the genius scholar and self trained sorcerer, and Braydon was an artistic prodigy, two opposites that looked completely identical down to the last freckle. As for Alistair, the man was just always full of surprises.

After a while the scenery changed from the city to the mountains and eventually the ocean.

"So, where is this place anyway?" Jack finally asked.

"On a little island about a mile off the mainland." said Alistair. "And the only way to get there is by a private drive down to a bridge that leads out to the island.

Jack really wasn't sure what to say, so he just nodded in understanding, staring out the window beside him.

He did have to admit, the scenery was beautiful. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and the ocean was sparkling a bright blue.

Of course, when they did finally arrive at the island, no description could prepare anyone for such a place.

At the front of the island was a gigantic mansion with two large wings, and behind it was what looked like a tropical rainforest full of lush green trees and all sorts of brightly colored plants.

"What a place." Jack said in awe as he stepped out of the car.

" No place like it." Roderick said with a grin.

"I'll say, and trust me I've seen a lot. I've never even seen another planet this beautiful." he said truthfully. "This is where Ianto grew up?"

"This is where he spent the rest of his teenage years till he went off to college." Alistair confirmed. "But just wait, it get's better when you actually get to explore the grounds."

Jack smiled. "Sounds exciting."

"Absolutely. Anyway, the three of us have some errands we need to run, but dad and Miss Sarah are home, so they'll show you around." said Alistair leading him up to the door.

After a quick ring of the doorbell, the door was soon answered by a young man about Jack's height and build with blond hair and blue eyes.

"Well it's about time you two showed up." he said with a smile.

"Jack, this is our dad Quentin Midnightstar." Alistair introduced.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Midnightstar." said Jack shaking the man's hand.

"You as well, we've been waiting all day for you Jack. Of course, Ianto had no idea you were coming." he chuckled. "So you'll be quite a surprise. Anyway, come on in, there's quite a bit to see, and quite a few to meet, and by the time the tour is done, yes we have extra strength tylenol on hand."

After saying goodbye to Alistair and the twins, Jack was led into the house by Quentin, who then took him into the kitchen to meet his wife Sarah who was a very kind and friendly lady that gave Jack a big motherly hug and a pat on the cheek in greeting. Then he led Jack upstairs where the landing was split down both wings.

"Right wing is the boy's side, left is the girls, it get's pretty loud out here first thing in the morning." said Quentin with a smile as he led Jack down the right hallway.

"I can imagine." Jack said, surprised at just how many rooms filled the hall.

As they walked past each room, Jack saw that most of the doors had names on them in bright wooden letters of all styles and colors.

"now I assume you'll probably be sharing a room with Ianto, but on the off chance that your not, feel free to pick any room that does not have a name on the door. Those are the empty ones."

"I will keep that in mind."

About two thirds of the way down the hall, they passed a door where they heard a loud 'poof!' followed by a squelching sound inside.

Quentin stopped and knocked on the door. "Niles? Are you alright in there?"

Suddenly the door opened and a young boy peeked out, covered in thick green goo.

"I'm fine dad." he said in a thick Irish accent.

But Jack and Quentin just starred.

"What? Is it that bad?" the boy asked. Then he turned and looked in the mirror. "OH MY GOD! I LOOK LIKE A DINOSAUR SNEEZED ALL OVER ME!" he cried in shock. Then he bolted out of the room and down the hall. "MOM! HELP!"

Just then another boy peeked out on the other side of the hall, and he looked just like the other boy, only cleaner, with flaming red hair, bright green eyes, and a face full of freckles. "Did I just hear Niles say something about a dinosaur sneezing' on him? He didn't finish that time portal without me did he?"

"That's what the closet doors are for Jeremy." Quentin sighed.

"Hey, I know that time portals are magical, I want to show they're mathematical too."

"Roderick already did that."

"Well I want to make one on my own without mathematical magic." the boy said stubbornly. "Anyway, let me know if Niles gets the goo out of his hair will ya? Thanks dad." And with that he went back into his room.

"Is this a common occurrence?" Jack asked curiously.

"Sadly enough, yes. But you get used to them." Quentin shrugged.

"So you say."

"Just wait, it get's weirder. Anyway, come on, Ianto should be in his bedroom at the end of the hall."

So Jack followed Quentin till they arrived at the very end where the door had Ianto's name on it.

Quentin quietly peeked in before turning to look at Jack, "he appears to be taking a nap, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you woke him up to say hello." he said with a smile.

So Jack quietly entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Sure enough there was Ianto sleeping peacefully on the bed in jeans and a white t-shirt.

But Jack paused and looked around the room first.

It was almost as big as Ianto's flat, but no where near as neat and organized. There was a small kitchenette and a loft like area with a couch and a television, bookshelves full of all sorts of books and a desk in the corner by the bed.

As Jack stepped further into the room, he heard a soft growl from the couch and jumped when he saw a cheetah quietly dozing, it's tail flicking here and there as it dreamed.

"Wow, Ianto really does share his room with a cheetah." he whispered in surprise. Then deciding it best not to walk past and wake the sleeping cat, he walked over to the bed and slowly sat down beside Ianto, before leaning over, and gently kissing the young man's lips.

Ianto quietly stirred awake, yawning as he stretched. But then he paused for a moment, before he opened his eyes and shot up. "Jack! Wha… how…. Why?"

"Miss me?" he asked with a smile.

"How did you….?"

"Long story short, yesterday morning I went into work, found a wedding invitation on my desk with a plane ticket and a passport, and here I am. I didn't want to invoke your brother's temper by turning down his invitation."

Ianto smiled and shook his head. "I should've known that Alistair had something to do with this."

"Disappointed that I'm here?" he asked, suddenly feeling nervous. He was caught by surprise when Ianto grabbed his jacket collar and pulled him into a searing hot kiss, that left him breathless.

"Elated is more like it." Ianto whispered, hugging him tightly. "Welcome to Midnightstar Sanctuary Jack. I think you'll like it here."

Jack smiled and wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist, resting his head against Ianto's chest.

"Once I get over the shock of how unusual some of your siblings are. I think I might." he said honestly making Ianto chuckle.

Just then a loud growl reached their ears. It appeared they had woken the sleeping cheetah.

"Come here Lana." said Ianto, patting the empty space beside them.

Soon Jack felt a weight on the bed beside him followed by a cold nose running through his hair.

"Lana, cut that out." Ianto chided gently.

Jack looked up to find himself nose to nose with the creature who suddenly licked his cheek.

"She likes you." said Ianto.

Jack sat up with a smile. "You really do share your bed with a cheetah." he said.

"This is Lana. She's really quite sweet. Dad rescued her. She was adopted as an exotic pet when she was little, but when she got bigger her owner didn't want her anymore. So, since she was quite tame, she joined me here as the second resident of our happy home."

Jack laughed softly as Lana cuddled up to him like a big happy kitten. "Can I… can I pet her?" he asked slowly.

"Of course you can. She's very friendly and very loving."

He tentatively reached down and began to gently scratch behind the cheetah's ears, making her growl happily. Jack wanted to laugh suddenly. There had been a lot of things he had done in his life, but petting a large predatory cat was not one of them. This was a first.

"So then, who all have you gotten to meet so far?" Ianto asked.

"Just Niles and Jeremy. And it was a very quick meeting because Niles was covered in some nasty green slime."

"That's Niles for ya. Come on, let's go give you a proper introduction. I'm sure he's cleaned up by now." said Ianto standing up. "Stay here and be good Lana."

Lana just rolled off of Jack's lap, then settled down comfortably on the bed before dozing off.

"Come now Jack." said Ianto heading towards the door. "And you might as well leave your coat. It's quite warm today."

"I did notice that." Jack admitted, standing up. He then took off his great coat and tossed it over the arm of the couch before following Ianto out into the hall.

They walked down to the door with Niles's name and Ianto knocked, just to hear Niles call for them to come in.

Jack felt like he had stepped into another world in the boy's room. One end was like a bedroom, the other end was like a mad scientists lab with everything you could imagine on the giant lab table, a chemical shower, a sink, and a giant periodic table painted on the wall.

"Good grief. This place is more advanced then a college chem lab." he said in awe. He looked over to see that the boy still had quite a bit of goo on him.

"Sorry about my sudden panic attack earlier. I forgot I've got a universal solvents for this junk." he said, dripping a few drops into a beaker which turned the liquid from blue to red.

They watched as he walked over to the chemical shower and poured the liquid over his head, causing to slime do dissolve and slip off of him and onto the floor. But then to Jack's amazement, the puddle at his feet pulled itself together into a small blob before folding in on itself and disappearing.

"Ha! I've done it!" Niles cried proudly. "I've created a solvent that cleans itself up after use!"

Niles suddenly grabbed a marker off his table and ran over to a wall that said, 'Niles's periodic table of newly discovered formulas and elements." and he jumped up onto a stool and began to scribble away diligently.

After he was done he jumped down then walked over to them. "Sorry about that. I'm Niles." he said, holding out his hand to Jack.

"Hi Niles, I'm Jack." he said slowly, shaking the boy's hand cautiously.

Niles giggled. "Tara and Kit told us all about you! Don't worry. If you can get past Tara, you don't have to worry about the rest of us kiddies. We're a friendly bunch, if not a little bit out there."

"I see that." Jack admitted.

"Anyway, you best get goin'. There's lots more of us to meet and you'll want to get a head start if you want to be downstairs in time for supper."

And suddenly Jack realized while Ianto's father had mentioned the bottle of extra strength pain reliever. From Niles's warning and Ianto's grin, Jack knew he was now in for quite an adventure.

.

.

.

A/N: gotta love Niles right? He's almost as odd as Kit, maybe more. anyway, I hope you guys were happy with this. If you were, let me know.


	24. Ianto's secret hideaway

A/N: I figured since I'm stuck sitting with my mom at the hospital while she sleeps, I'd try and be productive, so chapter number three in one day! Whoo! If I keep it up, I might be able to make it four! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood, but I own the Midnightstars!

.

.

.

Ianto could hardly believe that Jack was actually with him in California, trying to get to know his family. It was quite a surprise and a wonderful one at that.

So far, Jack had met Cody, Sammy, Sam, Joe, Katie, Macy, Mercy, Manny, Mark, Austin, Marina, Tucker, Jennifer, Stephaney, Sakura, Kaleb, Luis, Shawn, Anita, Shirley, Danny, Dawn, Sasha, Ryan, Sebastian, Tara, Tessa and Tanya and a boy named John that was exceedingly cheerful and called 'Cookie' and Ianto could feel that Jack's head was spinning.

"Are you alright?" he asked with a smile as they walked out on the grounds.

"I'm glad your father had extra strength aspirin." Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "You have a lot of brothers and sisters."

"That's not counting the older surrogate siblings and the cousins."

"The siblings living under the same roof as you are confusing enough."

Ianto smiled and leaned in to kiss Jack's cheek. "You'll get used to them, trust me."

"I'll try." Jack said honestly.

Ianto reached down and took Jack's hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they walked through the thickest part of the forest like area.

"So, where are we going exactly?" Jack asked.

"You'll see. My uncle created this neat hideout for me when I first moved here." he said walking over to the familiar tree. "You ever play on slides at a park when you were a kid Jack?"

"No…. why?" he asked slowly.

Ianto smiled and knocked on the tree trunk, just to have a hole appear in the ground under Jack's feet, the older man falling right in. Then he jumped in after him, sliding down the long slide he hadn't been down in a long time.

Of course this time he landed on a very disoriented Jack who was in a heap at the bottom of the slide.

"Ouch." Jack groaned.

Ianto stood up before helping Jack off the floor.

"What's with the random slide in the ground?" Jack groaned.

"Sorry, my uncle like's creative entrances. He creates these rooms with what's left of his magic. We have them all over the island, but this one's mine."

As Jack looked around, he was obviously very surprised at what he saw.

Ianto loved his hideaway. It was just a small underground room that looked more like a small version of the living room in his flat. It had a couch and a couple of chairs and carpet on the floor, more bookshelves stuffed with the books that he couldn't fit on his shelf in his room, but what he really loved was the view.

It looked like a glass panel in the cliff side giving them a perfect view of the ocean, but while you could see out, an illusion on the outside gave the appearance of a normal cliff to anyone passing by.

"My uncle loves making rooms like this. Back in Virginia, hidden on the grounds of Midnight Sanctuary there are seven rooms, six of the rooms contain artifacts from each century my Uncle has lived in. The seventh holds all of his magical whatnots. Each has a hidden entrance and quite a way of getting in. I found the twentieth century room, and the fourteenth century room, which is really quite impressive if you're into art and things from the renaissance."

Jack walked over to the 'window' and starred out across the ocean. "You're uncle does this?" he asked in awe.

"Makes the hub seem slightly mundane at times, doesn't it?" Ianto asked, standing beside him with a smile.

"Yeah it does." Jack said with a tiny smile.

"Here, this will make you laugh, I have a bunker of my own in here." said Ianto.

Jack looked at him with raised brows. "Really now?"

"Come on, I'll show you." he said walking over to a fireman's pole and sliding down into his small room about five feet below. "This is the best view of them all."

"And why is that?" Jack asked curiously, as he joined him.

"Simple. Look out that window."

"I feel like I'm starring into a giant aquarium." Jack said taking a tentative step forward.

Ianto loved watching the fish and other sea creatures out the giant bubble window. The room was a place that he always came to think when he was younger. But this time it was Jack's turn to be surprised, so Ianto just took a seat on the bed and watched as Jack starred through the window like a curious child.

"What's this one Ianto?" Jack asked pointing to a bright orange fish.

"That's an orange garibaldi Jack." he said with a smile

"And this one?"

"Some type of rock fish."

"And a giant lobster." Jack pointed out like an amused child at the lobster trying to climb up the window.

"That's a spiny lobster."

Jack walked over and sat down beside him. "This place is amazing. And it's yours?"

"All mine." Ianto admitted with a nod. "It helped me get away from things. Or else it was just a fun place to spend time with my friends. You know, there's sea lions that swim around there too sometimes."

"Sea lions?"

"Yup. Real sea lions, and the occasional Navy SEAL too. I've seen a couple of my brothers swimming out there more then once. But it's like up in the main room. You can see out, but no one can see in. Except the fish." he added thoughtfully. "Sometimes it seems to me, that the fish can actually see inside. I've gone diving down there and can't see anything from the outside, but the sea creatures seem to."

Jack smiled. "This place is amazing Ianto. I can't believe you grew up here."

Ianto chuckled. "To me it just seems like home though." he admitted with a shrug. "I've been here long enough and I've watched the family grow, so to me, this place is just home."

"I guess now I see why aliens don't seem so far fetched to you." Jack said with a chuckle as he shook his head. "Did you know, that I met Alistair and two of his sons nearly seventy years ago in London?"

Ianto was surprised by the revelation. "No. I had no clue about that."

"Well it's true. Though I found it rather odd that the twins were sixteen when I met them and now they're only twenty seven."

Ianto chuckled. "Time works funny in our family."

"I heard your dad mention something about closet doors."

"Ah yes, if my closet door changes color don't open it. Most of the time it leads to someplace bad. We still have yet to figure out who the grey door belongs to, because it's not anyone in the family. All I know is when I went to go pull out a shirt to get dressed for school I found myself back in the 1940's and eventually the Anzio invasion, Alistair had to go on quite an adventure to come rescue me."

"You were there during WWII?" Jack asked surprised.

"Only for a couple of months. Well, a day here. You think it's weird that there were two of you in WWII? I think there's like four of five of my brother. There was the version of him that took souls, there was once when he was there with a few of my older brothers, once with me, and I think there was one recently and that's how he rescued Roderick and Braydon."

"And here I thought I was special because of that." Jack sighed.

Ianto laughed. "I told you that you could always find somebody to relate to in this family." he said, gently nudging Jack with his shoulder.

"I hear that Alistair has a son that could rival me when it comes to how many times we've been shot in the head."

"Ah yes, that would be Alan. Al's always been… well, let's just say that normally my dad says you can get used to anyone in the family. Al, he told me 'I would tell you that you'd get used to him but…. He's been in the family for years and none of us have. Not even his father or his foster father.' Al's just that out there."

"That weird huh?"

"The first time I ever met Al, I learned he can't die. But it's not like you where you die and come back. It's more like…. He just doesn't die. He was at work, and yet his spinal cord and his brain weren't attached to each other, and the two halves of his brain weren't connected either. He had a bullet go through his head and sever like ninety percent of the neurons that connect the two halves together, and another one lodged in between his spine and the stem of his brain. They say that's why he couldn't keep a partner for longer then a couple of weeks. He'd scare them off."

Jack looked completely astonished. "What is Al?" he asked slowly.

"Don't know the whole story. I just know that he's half human." Ianto shrugged, figuring that Jack didn't really need to know exactly what Alistair was.

"You're family is more out of this world then I am, and I came from another planet in the future." Jack said, shaking his head with a smile. "The twins told me how this is a home for more peculiar broken children."

Ianto laughed. Peculiar was the nice way of putting it. They had geniuses for all sorts of subjects, sorcerers, inhuman children from Alistair's side, there were other empathic children, or ones that truly were psychic and could read other's minds. There were kids like him, who had more then one ability, like his empathy, his eidetic memory, and a very impressive knack for learning whatever he fancied with little problem.

"We're a special home for broken children that have had people reject us and everything we are." he said honestly. He looked up at Jack and smiled softly, taking the man's hand. "For people like you."

"I'm a little old to be adopted." Jack pointed out.

"You're not too old to be a surrogate. Look at Alistair, besides, Tara already looks at you like a big brother, and Kit sees you as an Uncle. Admit it, you got sucked into this family before you ever made the trip here."

Jack laughed. "I suppose your right." he shrugged. "I did get sucked into your crazy family, and I'm very glad that I did."

"Now then," said Ianto looking at his watch. "It's almost time for dinner, and you're about to find out that in this household, dinner is a real family affair, and quite a strange one indeed." He stood up but was surprise when Jack gently grabbed hold of his wrist. He turned to see Jack smiling at him. "What?"

"You seem different." Jack said.

"How so?"

"You're happier, peaceful."

Ianto smiled. "That's because I'm around family. But just wait, back in Cardiff, I'm the quietest of us all, here, ask any one of my siblings that have known me for years, they'll tell you I'm the most rambunctious of the bunch. Now come on, we don't want to be late for supper!" he said pulling Jack up with a laugh.

Jack just laughed then Ianto led the way out of the room.

.

.

.

A/N: and next up, more of the crazy family! Thanks to all of you that tell me how much you enjoy my story! It's because of you guys that I keep writing!


	25. an emotional late night conversation

A/N: alright, sorry I've slowed down all of the sudden. But between cleaning the house and working till 2 A.M. on new years eve... well... let's just say I spent most of today sleeping. But I'm back! And with another chapter for you all to enjoy!

Disclaimer: How many times do I have to say I don't own Jack and Ianto?

.

.

.

Ianto hadn't been joking when he said that dinner was a family affair.

The dining room was full of adolescents and teenagers sitting at a huge table and Jack found himself sitting with Ianto among several of the older teens including Marina, Danny, Ryan, Luis, Tessa, and 'Cookie', and of course Tara sat with them too.

The entire family seemed to have accepted Jack and they made him feel very welcome always trying to include him in their conversations about what they called 'everyday subjects' but what were quite unusual to most.

Unusual animals also seemed to be a common thing among the household as well Jack discovered.

So far Jack had met a very impressive tigress named Sapphire with a quick wit that matched Ianto's, Lana the cheetah, a timber wolf with bat like wings that hung out of a tree named Jinx, Sammy had a sugar glider, little Cody had a giant flying fox, Tara's pet was a tamandua anteater who was always playing dress up, Niles had a very unusual Komodo dragon who for some odd reason had no claws and the inability to produce venom, and Jeremy had a normal pit bull. That was just the animals that lived in the house and he had yet to meet the animals that roamed the grounds of the magnificent home.

"I still can't believe that you have a little anteater that wears a skirt." Jack chuckled as he sat with Ianto, Tara, and Aldair in Ianto's room.

Farah the little anteater was sitting on the couch with Tara, dressed in a purple skirt with a pink shirt, a frilly bow on her neck.

"Yes, you never see me play dress up." Aldair snorted.

Farah stuck her tongue out in Aldair's direction as if in defiance.

"Watch it missy! Don't you get smart with your elders!" Aldair protested, making everyone chuckle.

"What do you care if Farah like's to wear clothes? At least I'm not putting any on you." Tara said.

"That's because he'd never let you Tara." said Ianto with a chuckle, as he sat cross legged on the bed beside Jack.

"After all my years at Torchwood, I thought I was prepared for the unexpected, but this family, was something I could never have imagined." Jack admitted with a smile.

"But admit it, you like it here." said Tara with a grin.

"I do like it here." Jack said with a nod and a smile. "This is actually my first time to the states."

Ianto let out a snort of laughter. "You pose as an American, yet you've never been here before? That makes me more American then you, and I'm full blooded Welsh!" he protested.

"Wow, that's pretty sad." Tara giggled.

"So I've heard." Jack sighed, stretching out on the bed. "That makes Kit more American then me too."

Tara and Ianto laughed a little.

"You have a point." Ianto said, looking down at him.

"So, where do Kit and Alistair live?" Jack asked curiously, Kit being the only child he hadn't seen.

"They live about forty minutes south of here in La Jolla." said Ianto.

"Where's La Jolla?" Jack asked curiously.

He was surprised when Ianto got up and walked over to a wall where he started pulling down a bunch of gigantic maps till he found a map of California.

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

Ianto laughed. "I like to study geography." he shrugged. "Anyway, we're here," said Ianto pointing to an orange dot on the southern edge of the state. "And they're here." he said pointing to another dot a few inches below it.

"So they live almost right in between here and San Diego." said Tara.

"Ah, alright. I think I got the general idea." he said with a nod.

"We're actually going to spend the day with them tomorrow." said Ianto with a smile.

"I wonder what you look like in a tux." said Tara with a smile. "I've seen Ianto, but I have trouble seeing you."

"Believe it or not, I wore a tux once. When I got married, back in the early nineteen hundreds." he paused. "Wow, I'm old."

"Oh please, I'm older then you." Aldair sighed, smacking Jack's leg with his tail.

"I'm just finding it hard to think that you've actually been married." said Ianto with a good natured smile as he sat back down beside Jack. "You don't seem like the type to settle down."

"In all honesty, I would love the chance to settle down and live a normal life." Jack admitted.

"Well you won't get it in this family." said Aldair.

Just then they heard a quiet knock on the door and Niles peaked in.

"Did you need something Niles?" Ianto asked.

"Jeremy and I were wonderin' if we could join in on the conversation."

"Sure, the more the merrier." said Jack with a smile.

Niles smiled and entered the room followed by Jeremy, then Larry the komodo dragon, and Gladstone the bulldog.

One thing Jack had learned about Niles and Jeremy was that Niles had the most energy of the two. Always jumping around in excitement with every new discovery. Jeremy was the quieter of the two, always happy and outgoing, and willing to engage in thought provoking conversation. But he had a bad leg causing him to need an arm crutch to help him get around. But they were also proof that Jack wasn't the only one out of his time. The two were rescued as child mill workers in 1853. Now, their research was well ahead of the current century, let alone their original time.

"So I'm curious, why doesn't Larry have claws?" Jack asked as the two boys sat beside Tara.

"He was born without claws. It was just a weird birth defect. But that's why dad's friend at the zoo called and asked if we could keep him, cause the other komodo dragons would tear him to pieces without claws, and his teeth aren't sharp like others. Larry's mostly a vegetarian, besides some occasional cooked fish." Niles explained.

"You should've seen him begging dad. It was like a kid that wanted a puppy." Ianto chuckled.

"You wanted a komodo dragon?"

"Well he had no claws and dad said if I could stop his body from producing the venom I could keep him. So I named him Larry."

"And here I thought it was odd that we had a weevil named Janet and a pterodactyl named Myfanwy." Jack chuckled with a shake of his head.

"Ooh! You have a pterodactyl? Neat!"

"Why is it I'm the only one with a normal pet in this family?" Jeremy asked with a smile, scratching behind the little bull dog's ears.

"It appears to me that you're the only one that's actually somewhat normal Jeremy." said Jack with a chuckle.

"He is, that's why he's the most boring of us all." said Niles with a grin.

"Well I apologize if I like some semblance of normalcy in my life." Jeremy sighed, shaking his head a little. "At least I don't end up covered in green goo."

"This coming from the mundane one that still uses old fashioned chalk and blackboard?" Tara added.

"Aye! What's wrong with chalk?"

"The fact that the dust chokes you?" Niles asked.

"And get's all over your clothes." Tara pointed out.

"Alright now, that's enough from you three." Ianto interrupted. "Besides in nine thirty and you know what that means."

The three children groaned as they all stood up and Jack immediately understood: bedtime.

So after saying goodnight to the kids and the animals Jack and Ianto were alone. But then Ianto surprised him by standing up and putting on his shoes.

"Come on Jack, let's go for a walk." said Ianto with a smile.

"But…. I'm kinda comfortable." he admitted, stretching out on the bed.

"Just come on." Ianto chuckled, pulling him off of the bed.

"Alright, I'm coming." said Jack with a laugh, letting Ianto lead him out of the room.

They quietly headed down the hall and out of the house.

"So, where are we going?" Jack asked.

"Just come on." said Ianto with a smile.

Jack followed Ianto back down the room where they sat together and watched the moon over the ocean out the large window together.

"So, what do you think?" Ianto asked with a smile.

"I think you've got a wonderful family Ianto." he admitted, stretching out in the chair. "If not unconventional."

"Unconventional is something of a requirement in this family." Ianto said with a laugh.

"I noticed." Jack nodded. He smiled when Ianto let out a heavy yawn. "Let's get you into bed Ianto, it's late and you're obviously tired."

"Good point."

Jack watched as Ianto walked over to the little room and disappeared from sight, then he stood up and followed him. He looked around to see that the window was lit up and there were a couple of fish swimming by. He jumped slightly when he heard rustling from the bed beside him he turned to see Ianto curled up under the covers on the bed with a content smile on his face.

"Wow, that tired huh?" Jack asked with a chuckle.

Ianto just shrugged.

So Jack stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt and climbed in next to Ianto. "When was the last time you slept in this bed?" he asked curiously.

"I locked myself in down here after Canary Wharf." Ianto said honestly. "It gave me time to think."

Jack just leaned in and gave Ianto a gentle kiss in understanding. But he was surprised when Ianto grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He broke it off thought when he heard Ianto let out a soft grunt when Jack touched his chest.

"Maybe we shouldn't get too worked up Ianto, you're still healing." he said.

"I'll be fine." Ianto shrugged, "It just means you'll have to be a little gentle with me."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked slowly.

Ianto grinned and Jack gulped, it was the kind of grin that made every ounce of his resolve crumble in an instant.

"Trust me Jack, I've wanted you all day. That's why I came out here, no interruptions." said Ianto rolling over on top of him and straddling his waist. "Don't keep me waiting now."

Jack opened his mouth to say something but Ianto immediately stopped his words with a hard kiss on the lips and before he knew it, Ianto was all he could think about, and he began kissing back with equal fervor, excited to see where the whole night was about to go.

A couple of hours later the two collapsed exhausted under the covers, completely sated and content.

"I must admit, that's the first time I ever had a bright orange fish and a lobster watch the entire time." Jack chuckled looking out the window as Ianto curled up beside him.

"Oh please, I'm sure you've had sex with some alien on an underwater planet somewhere." Ianto chuckled softly.

"Now that you mention it, there was this very interesting species of underwater dwellers, a few galaxies away." he said thoughtfully.

Ianto just shook his head with another chuckle as he snuggled up against Jack's chest.

Jack smiled and wrapped his arms around him, gently kissing the top of his head. "Goodnight Ianto, sweet dreams." he whispered softly.

"Night." Ianto whispered back sleepily.

He just watched as Ianto drifted off to sleep, with a small smile.

But just as the young man's eyes fluttered closed one last time he heard Ianto mutter, "Rwy'n dy garu di, Jack. Rwy'n dy garu di."

Of course, despite living in Cardiff for so long, Jack had no idea what Ianto had said because he hardly knew any type of Welsh. Only about seven percent of the population of Cardiff actually spoke Welsh, and then you had to determine if it was southern Welsh or Northern Welsh. Ianto was actually one of the few people Jack had known in his abnormally long life that spoke Welsh fluently and regularly, if only to leave Jack in the dark during a conversation.

After a few minutes of laying beside Ianto, Jack realized he wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon, so he got up carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping Welshman, then he put on his trousers and headed upstairs to watch the moon over the water and think about his day.

Now he had not only fallen in love with Ianto, he had officially fallen in love with Ianto's unusual family. They were so far beyond normal they were in a whole different universe compared with everyone else, but they accepted him. They had accepted him as Jack Harkness, the immortal with occasional suicidal tendencies, odd habits and quirks, as the fallible futuristic human, and Ianto's lover. They had accepted him and made him feel welcome. It was a first in Jack's life, and it was something that made his heart swell with joy. Between Ianto and the others, Jack finally felt that he could actually be at peace and belong somewhere in the world.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "What a place." he whispered to himself. "No wonder these kids can be so happy here after so much trauma."

Jack had discovered that most of the children came from very dark pasts, like Tara and her sister Sammy who had been horribly abused by their father, or Tucker who's mother left him at a hospital when he was ten saying she just didn't want him anymore because she never loved him in the first place, then he had been sent to a foster home where his brother continuously beat him up till he ended up in a hospital with broken ribs and internal bleeding. Cookie had just been abandoned on the streets when his parents left him in an unfamiliar city and forgot about him. Nearly half of the children had been taken in after suicide attempts, their scars still clearly visible. But all of them smiled and laughed as if their lives had always been as happy has it was now.

With the kids that were now surrounding him, even Jack found himself forgetting more of his harsh and unhappy past. He suddenly didn't care that the doctor abandoned him, he didn't care that he couldn't die, he was just happy to live in the moment he was in, and he hoped that when he did finally get some sleep, everything wouldn't just disappear when he awoke because he was dreaming.

He jumped a little when he felt arms wrap around his waist from behind. He turned his head to see Ianto resting his chin on Jack's shoulder with a sleepy smile. He could feel that Ianto had put on his slacks and t-shirt before heading upstairs to join him.

"What are you doing up?" Jack asked softly.

"I could ask you the same thing." Ianto shot back with a chuckle.

"I couldn't sleep. So I came upstairs to think." he admitted.

"I should've known."

"Ianto, what does 'Rwy'n dy garu di' mean?" he asked, stumbling over the pronunciation a bit. "I heard it somewhere and I was just curious." He felt Ianto stiffen slightly as the grip around his waist tightened. "What? Is it something bad?"

"Where did you hear it?" Ianto asked.

"I heard it while I was out yesterday." he shrugged.

"It means 'I love you,' in Welsh. Well southern Welsh anyway. 'Dw i'n dy garu di' is more northern Welsh and 'Rydw i'n dy garu di' is considered more standard." Ianto explained. "Why? Where did you hear it?" he asked again.

"I told you, while I was out." he said again. But suddenly his mind was reeling, so he shut Ianto out bit, trying to get a grip on himself.

Ianto had said that he loved him. But was it a sleepy accident or did he mean it? Jack had no idea what to think now.

"You're a terrible liar Jack." Ianto said, suddenly breaking into his thoughts. "You hear Welsh every day, but this is the first time you've actually asked me what anything meant. Where did you hear it?"

Jack wasn't sure he wanted to admit to Ianto that he heard it from him, but he didn't want Ianto to sit an wonder if he was hiding something either, so he went ahead and told him.

"I heard you say it, when you were falling asleep. You said, 'Rwy'n dy garu di, Jack'."

Ianto's arms suddenly went slack and Jack turned to see that the Welshman's eyes were wide with shock as he starred ahead, not looking at Jack.

"Did you mean it?" Jack asked slowly.

After a few moments of silence Ianto took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes." he said simply as he let go of Jack and came to stand beside him. "Foolish I know, but I do."

"Why do you say it's foolish?"

"Let's face it Jack, you don't ever love anyone, all you can really do is intense affection, and that's all I ever feel from you anyway."

Jack felt a slight pang in his heart when he heard Ianto's words.

Ianto had no idea just how Jack felt for him, and it made him feel terrible.

"You don't think I'm capable of loving someone?" he asked quietly.

Ianto shook his head, neither one of them made eye contact they just continued to stare out at the water and the full moon above it.

"It's not that you're not capable of love Jack." Ianto said, crossing his arms against his chest. "It's just that you don't. You've lived so long, and lost so many people that you don't love anymore, or you at least try your best not too. It's a learned response to protect your heart, and I completely understand it. I know others that are like that too."

Jack felt terrible, Ianto was right. He tried not to love because he didn't want to be hurt anymore. But Ianto was different. He loved Ianto, and he wanted to love him, despite the heartache he would eventually suffer when he lost the Welshman. But there was something else he wanted to know.

"Do you regret that you love me?"

Ianto shook his head with a tiny smile, surprising Jack. "No, I don't regret it. All you want is someone who loves you Jack. I love you, and I'm perfectly content with the affection I receive in return. That's all I need."

It was a completely honest answer and it surprised Jack immensely, but it also made him want to cry. Ianto really was the most selfless person he had ever met. Even thinking that Jack could never love him, he loved Jack and openly admitted it.

"Why?" Was all he could get out.

Ianto frowned suddenly, "Are you alright Jack? Why are you so sad all of the sudden?" he asked, worriedly.

"I'm fine, but why would you love someone that would never love you back?"

"I was once told that unrequited love is the mark of a very soft heart." Ianto shrugged. "But in all honestly, I love you, because you make me happy Jack. I once promised myself a long time ago that I would do everything I could to stay happy in my life, and you make me happy. When you smile, I smile, when you laugh, I want to laugh too. That's why I work so hard to make you happy. Why I do everything I can to make you smile, and anything to make you laugh. Because then I'm happy too." He let out a tiny laugh as he shook his head. "It's a bit selfish I know, but…. Even I can a bit self centered at times."

"You're not selfish Ianto. If that was the case, wouldn't you rather have a life where you could settle down and have a family?" he asked, bracing for the worst possible answer.

Ianto gave him a sad smile. "Let's face it Jack, working for Torchwood, that's not an option. More then ninety percent of Torchwood operatives die young, and only three or four have ever actually made it to retirement. I don't kid myself about living for too much longer. I know I've got at least one more year, but beyond that….. I don't know if I'll live another week, or another ten years, so if your affection is all I need to make me happy for that short time, then please, let me be happy, yeah?"

Jack finally felt the dam break and he found himself crying as he pulled the young man against his chest in a tight hug.

"Jack? Why are you crying?" Ianto asked softly. "I'm sorry if I upset you, really I am, I just…."

Jack shook his head. "Oh Ianto, don't you ever think that I don't love you." he said softly, his tears falling in Ianto's hair. "Because I do, I really, really do. I love you very much Ianto."

Ianto let out a tiny sigh. "You don't have to say that just to make me feel better Jack. Really you don't."

Jack felt as if a piece of his heart was about to break when he realized Ianto didn't believe him. But he knew just the thing to make Ianto know that he was telling the truth. He let down his barriers and continuously thought about how much he loved the young man.

Ianto let out a gasp of surprised and grabbed onto Jack's shoulders as his knees went weak. He then looked up at Jack, and gently wiped away the tears. "You meant it." It was a statement rather then a question letting Jack know that he understood, but Jack nodded anyway with a tiny smile.

"Loving you is well worth an eternal heartache Ianto." he admitted, as Ianto gently dried the rest of his tears. "And I mean that."

Ianto smiled and put a hand on the back of Jack's neck, gently tugging him down for a kiss.

"You're happy now I take it?" Jack asked with a chuckle when they broke apart.

"Absolutely exultant." Ianto said with a grin.

Jack chuckled and rolled his eyes a little. "You and you're big words. Where do you even find some of them anyway?"

"Jack, look at the wall and tell me how many bookshelves you see." Ianto told him.

Jack turned and counted fifteen bookshelves that stretched from floor to ceiling around the room, each one full.

"That's two thousand three hundred and forty two books, not counting the three hundred and fifty six in my bedroom and the one hundred and thirteen back home in Cardiff. I find all sorts of words in these books." Ianto said.

"Nerd." Jack said playfully.

Ianto laughed. "And proud of it! Now then, let's go back down to the bedroom and try and get some sleep? We've got quite a long day ahead of us Cariad." he said, taking Jack's hand and leading him back down to the small room.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked bewildered as he paused for a moment.

"Cariad? It's basically a Welsh term of endearment." he shrugged

"Oh, alright." he said with a nod, then he just followed Ianto back down to the bedroom.

This time when they got into bed, Jack found the roles reversed as he curled up in Ianto's arms and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, knowing that, not only did he love Ianto dearly, Ianto loved him unconditionally. Suddenly, for once, his life felt perfect and he wouldn't have it any other way.

.

.

.

A/N: Yay! Jack has admitted his love! I just wish he had in the show, that would've been perfect. But for now, we'll let the show stay the same, and settle for what we write, yeah? Anyway, my wonderful, faithful readers that are always there know what happens next! You guys review, let me know what you think, and I'll get to work on the next chapter! You guys are awesome!


	26. breakfasts, brothers, and sea stars

A/N: and now the moment we've all been waiting for... Jack get's to go see Kit and Lilly! Whoo! Have fun guys!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Jack and Ianto...

.

.

.

"Ianto! Stop poking me!" Jack groaned, as the young man continuously poked at him. "Ianto!"

"Come on Jack, you have to get up if you want breakfast." said Ianto.

Jack just grunted and turned his head to bury his face in his pillow.

"Come on Jack, up you get or I'll roll you right out of this bed!" Ianto warned.

"You wouldn't, you're too nice." Jack countered, because he knew that Ianto usually bluffed in the morning.

"Oh, really now?"

"Yeah really." he felt Ianto stretch beside him, but suddenly he felt a knee against his back shove him out of the bed and onto the floor. "What the hell Ianto?" he snapped looking up.

But Ianto just laughed. "I warned you!" he said with a smile, then he hopped out of bed and got dressed. "Now come on, I'm hungry and I'm sure you are too."

Jack just let out disgruntled moan as he stood up. "I can't believe you actually pushed me out of the bed." he sighed as he put on his pants.

"I warned you, did I not?" Ianto repeated. "Besides, I'm excited, I get to meet Gareth today. I've never met him before."

It was then that Jack remembered Ianto once mentioning that he had a twin brother. "So we get to meet your twin today huh?"

"Yup, now come on!"

And before Jack could say another word, he found himself being hauled out of the room and chasing Ianto back to the house.

But breakfast obviously wasn't as relaxing as dinner.

Jack noticed about eighty percent of the children wolfing down their food before they heard Sarah yell: "School bus is here!"

Then about fifteen of the kids including Tara jumped up from the table, put their dishes in the kitchen, then grabbed their bags before running out the door.

"I've never seen so many kids run to the school bus." Jack admitted, ruffled by the sudden rush. "Let alone with smiles."

Now there was just him, Ianto, Quentin, Niles, Jeremy, Cookie, Katie and Marina left at the table.

"So, why don't the five of you go with everyone else?" he asked slowly.

"Niles and Jeremy are home schooled because elementary school doesn't exactly challenge them, Cookie, he just wanted to be home schooled, and Katie and Marina skipped eleventh and twelfth grades, Sarah takes them to school. They go to the Torrey Pines campus of UCSD." Quentin explained. "Though why Cookie likes to stay at home is beyond me."

"Why do they call you Cookie?" Jack asked the teen.

"Because my last name was Cooke. Spelled with an 'e' and they say I'm either as sweet or as flaky as a cookie depending on the moment." said the young man with a grin.

"Flaky being the nice way of putting it. He's the only person I know that will say 'I had the worst day ever!' and grin as he says it while laughing at his own misfortune." Ianto said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, I do that." Cookie laughed.

Jack just stared at the teen for a moment before shaking his head and taking a bite of his eggs.

"All done dad!" said Niles and Jeremy in unison, then they stood up and took their plates.

"I want your book reports on my desk by lunch time boys!" Quentin called after them.

"Yes sir!" they both called back, then they headed upstairs.

"What are their books reports on?" Jack asked curiously.

"Niles is doing a literary analysis on 'A study in Scarlet', and Jeremy chose 'Dracula'."

"Heavy reading for ten year olds." he said, somewhat surprised.

"Well they not exactly average ten year olds." Ianto pointed out.

"Katie, Marina, we best get going or you'll be late for your advanced psychology class." said Sarah walking into the dining room.

"Yes ma'am." they both said, then they too left the table.

Jack felt completely bewildered by the kids. "Is this just a family of geniuses?"

"Mostly. Cookie's pretty average, academically though." Ianto said, pointing at Cookie.

"So then why are you home schooled?" Jack asked him.

"Cause I felt like it I guess." he shrugged. "So what are you guys doing today?"

"We're going to Alistair's."

"Sweet! Getting your tux fitted?"

"Something like that." Ianto shrugged.

"What are you doing today?" Jack asked him.

"Don't know. Dad, what am I doing today?"

"You still owe me all of the odd numbered problems from page 235 in your math book." said Quentin without looking up from his paper.

"Ugh, I hate math." Cookie groaned, but for some strange reason he smiled anyway.

'This kid is so weird.' Jack thought to himself as he finished off his breakfast.

"Dad, can we take Cookie with us today? " Ianto asked suddenly.

"Why?" Quentin asked.

"Cause he's very unusual company I suppose." Ianto shrugged.

"And Jack's not?"

"Hey!" Jack protested.

"If he does half of his homework by the time he gets back he can go with you guys."

"Sweet! Thanks Ianto!" Cookie said excitedly. Then he finished his breakfast and took his plate into the kitchen.

"That kid's odd." Jack said honestly.

"It's Cookie, of course he's odd." said Ianto as if it was obvious. "He's like Braydon."

"He's good company though," Quentin admitted. "Anyway, you both better get going as well or you'll be late."

"Right, come on then Jack." said Ianto standing up.

Jack stood up and followed Ianto to the kitchen.

"You're family is really something else Ianto." he said as Ianto cleaned their plates and put them in the dishwasher.

"I know, but we're family." shrugged Ianto. "Now let's go get changed and get out of here."

"How are we getting anywhere?" he asked.

"Dad doesn't work today, so we get his jeep." said Ianto with a smile. Then he headed upstairs, Jack right behind him.

After they had gotten changed into a fresh set of clothes, Jack had realized he didn't need his coat on the pleasant summer afternoon, so he left it in Ianto's room and then headed downstairs where they met Cookie before leaving for the day.

Most of the car ride Jack spent trying to get to know Ianto's younger brother, but he also noticed a change in Ianto.

He was more open , and cheerful, bantering back and forth with Cookie, and making comical remarks that made even Jack laugh.

In all honesty, Jack had been so busy listening to the brothers and laughing, that he didn't realize just how fast the trip had been until they pulled up to a large, fancy house on a small cliff overlooking the ocean.

"This would be Alistair's place." said Ianto, noticing the look of surprise on Jack's place.

"Fancy." was all Jack could say.

"Till you get inside, then it's just like your average house." said Cookie with a smile, hopping out of the back seat.

"If you say so." Jack murmured getting out of the car and following the two of them to the front door.

It wasn't long after Ianto rang the doorbell that the giant answered with a big smile.

"It's about time you got here, and look at that you brought Cookie along for the ride today."

"Hi Alistair!" said Cookie excitedly.

"Well come on then, get in here."

As soon as the three of them walked into the house they heard two very familiar voices.

"Uncle Ianto! Uncle Jack!" they cried cheerfully.

Jack suddenly found himself with a little boy clinging to his legs. "Hi there Kit!" he said picking him up with a smile.

"Did ya miss me Uncle Jack?" Kit asked, hugging him around the neck.

"I missed you a lot. Tosh and Owen miss you guys too."

"Here Kit, Miss Tosh wanted me to give this to you." said Ianto, using his free hand to give the boy a little box, since his other arm was full with a grinning, giggling little girl.

Kit opened the box and pulled out a nice little watch that had the Cardiff coat of arms in the center. "Ooh, neato!" he said putting it on. "Will ya tell Miss Tosh I said thank you when you get back?"

"Of course we'll tell her Kit." said Ianto with a smile.

Just then the doorbell rang again and Alistair went to go answer it as Jack and Ianto took the two kids into the living room.

"Daddy said we could stay home from school today so we could see you guys." said Kit as Jack sat on the floor with him and Lilly.

"Well it's definitely good to see you two." he said honestly. He smiled as Lilly climbed into his lap and gave him a hug. "And it's wonderful to finally meet you in person Lilly."

"You too Uncle Jack." she giggled, gently kissing the tip of his nose.

"Hi Lieutenant Velasquez! Hi Ensign Frame!" said Kit suddenly.

Jack looked up and almost called the young man in front of him, Ianto, till he realized Ianto was sitting behind him on the couch.

"I'd like you two to meet my junior officer Lieutenant Gareth Velasquez, and this is Ensign Alonso Frame." said Alistair.

Jack could hardly believe his eyes.

The young Lieutenant really was Ianto's identical twin, down to his smile. If it weren't for the fact that he was wearing a black waistcoat with a blue t-shirt, and Ianto was wearing a worn out baseball jersey, he wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.

"Hi guys, nice to meet you." said Gareth.

"Sheesh, he really does sound like me." Jack muttered surprised.

Lilly giggled and Ianto stood up to greet his brother.

"Daddy, can we go out to the tide pools before we leave?" Kit asked, curiously.

"As long as you don't go alone." said Alistair as Ianto and Gareth began talking.

"Good, then we'll drag Uncle Jack and Mr. Frame with us." said Lilly standing up and tugging Jack to his feet,

He suddenly found himself being led out the back door, the other young man coming along for the adventure as well.

"So what are we doing now?" Jack asked slowly as Kit and Lilly each picked up a bucket by the back door.

"We're gonna go look at the tide pools since it's low tide." said Lilly.

"So Uncle Ianto and Mr. Velasquez can talk too." said Kit.

Jack just looked at the young man who shrugged before shaking his head and following the kids down a small path to the rocky shore below the cliff that their house sat on. The two men remained silent most of the time though as Lilly and Kit searched for little sea creatures in the nooks and crannies of the rocks.

"Are you two gonna talk, or are you gonna just sit and stare?" Kit finally asked. "You've got more in common then ya think you know!"

"Like what?" Jack asked finally. "Since you seem to know so much about us both anyway."

"Like the fact that you guys come from other planets." said Lilly as if it was obvious while she hopped around the rocks.

Both men looked at each other in surprise.

"Where are you from?" Jack asked slowly.

"The planet Sto." said Alonso and it was then that Jack realized he didn't sound American. "Where are you from?"

"The Boshane Peninsula."

"Wow, and to think I'm not the only one in this family from another planet." Alonso said in surprise. "How'd you get here?"

"That... is a very long story."

"Fess up will ya! You both got here cause of that Doctor fella," said Kit.

"You know the Doctor?" Jack asked the young man in surprise.

"I was a midshipman on a starliner. The doctor stopped it from crashing to earth, but only three of us survived. He brought two of us to earth, and he introduced me to a friend of Captain Berkenbridge who got me job in the navy. Now I'm an ensign on his carrier, and that's how I met Gareth."

"I should've known he had something to do with that." Jack muttered. "I've been here on earth since 1886."

"That's a very long time." Alonso said.

"A very long time indeed." Jack agreed with a nod. "Sheesh, when Ianto said you could always find someone to relate to about anything and everything in this family, he really wasn't kidding."

Alonso chuckled. "Yeah, I've come to discover that too."

Just then Cookie came running down the path. "Hey! You guys forgot me!" he cried. But as usual he was grinning like a maniac.

Jack smiled at the look of bewilderment on Alonso's face as Cookie ran over, it was quite obvious he had yet to meet the teen.

"This is Ianto's little brother Cookie, I'm still getting used to him myself."

"Your name is Cookie?" Alonso asked slowly.

"Not really, but they call me Cookie so that's what I go by. My real name is John. Nice to meet you Mr. Frame."

"You might as well call me Alonso, I'm not much older then you." said Alonso shaking hands with the strange boy.

"Cookie! Come help us find sea stars!" Lilly called over.

Jack smiled as Cookie ran over to join them. "Should we go help them find some sea stars?" he asked Alonso.

Alonso smiled. "Sounds like fun." he agreed, so the two hopped up onto the rocks to join the children.

"So what does a sea star look like guys, I've never seen one before." Jack said honestly.

"You've never seen sea star before?" Kit asked, astonished.

"Not that I know of."

"What about a star fish?"

"Only pictures."

"Well that's what we're looking for. But daddy says we should call them sea stars cause calling them fish hurts their feelings, since they're not fish." said Lilly.

"Ah, got it." said Jack nodding his head. "So we're looking for sea stars."

"And we don't want to hurt their feelings by calling them fish." chimed in Alonso making Jack chuckle.

Just then Jack saw a purple star sitting in a pool of water by his boot. "I think I found one."

Kit ran over with his water filled bucket. "Ooh! A purple one, he'll go good in our fish tank. We have red and orange, but no purple." he said gingerly lifting the star out of the puddle and placing him in the bucket.

"You guys have a fish tank?" Alonso asked curiously.

"Daddy got us a big fish tank for us to keep all sorts of neat things in. We have hermit crabs and little fish, and sea stars, and sea urchins." said Lilly with a smile. "It takes up a whole wall in our play room and we take really good care of all of them."

"Yeah, like our poor orange one was missin' a leg when we got 'im. Now it's almost grown back." said Kit.

"So you guys take in stray animals, injured sea creatures, and peculiar humans, what a family." Jack laughed.

"What a happy family." said Lilly with a giggle.

"A happy family indeed." Jack agreed as he walked along the edge of the rock, looking in the little pools of water. "In all honesty, this is the first time I've ever found myself forgetting about every trouble in my life, and what a wonderful feeling it is."

"This place makes me forget about the cybermen and Daleks." said Kit honestly. "That's why I love it here."

"I forgot all about the weevils and rift back home." said Jack with a smile. And it was true, he hadn't had a single thought about Torchwood or Cardiff since he had arrived, and now he understood exactly why Ianto wanted to get away for a bit. He knew nothing was going to ruin his day. So he just continued helping the kids find odd little sea creatures, with Alonso, officially enjoying the sunny summer day.

.

.

.

A/N: ooh, what a twist, I had to bring Alonso into this, he's an awesome character, I just thought he'd be better with someone other then Jack, which means... maybe the chapters surrounding CoE will be totally different when I get there... eventually. And for the record, I have a friend named John Cooke, and he is the real life Cookie! He really is like that! Anyway, you guys reviewed, I wrote, now it's your turn again! You guys are what's keeping this story going! Thanks so much!


	27. meeting Gareth and telling the truth

A/N: alright, this is a little bit shorter then the last few chapters, but we kinda get to know a little bit about Gareth so it's somewhat interesting. I'll have a much longer chapter up tomorrow, promise. But for now, enjoy.

Disclaimer: it's always the same, I don't own torchwood.

.

.

.

Ianto easily felt comfortable around Gareth.

Alistair had been right, Gareth was identical to him, besides the voice. But while they had never met in person, they had gotten to know each other over several months.

While he never admitted it but Ianto had always heard a voice in his head, and he had found out that it had been Gareth. While they were only empaths, they had the ability to communicate with each other telepathically, and any time Ianto had been feeling hurt or depressed, Gareth had always been there as a whisper in the back of his mind, telling him to cheer up and everything was going to be okay.

The two were very alike, but they were also very different. Ianto was usually quiet and somewhat reserved around others and outgoing around friends and family. Gareth was outgoing most of the time, always befriending people who appeared out of their element and lonely, which was how he had met Alonso who had been sitting alone eating lunch during their deployment.

But despite differences, Gareth was someone Ianto definitely wanted to keep in his life.

"So then, what are you and Alonso doing today?" Ianto asked after Alistair had gone outside to retrieve the children.

"Alonso and I are going to pick up our dress whites, then I have no clue." Gareth said with smile and a shrug. "You and Jack?"

"I guess Alistair is just taking us to get our tuxes fitted, then I have no idea."

"Then I say we meet up for lunch," said Gareth. "Alonso and I have both lived here for a while, but I know Jack hasn't seen anything around here."

Ianto smiled. "That's a wonderful idea!" he agreed. He wanted to show Jack where he spent the rest of his teenage years growing up, his favorite places to hang out, and spend a wonderfully sunny day, and today was a perfect opportunity. "Say… Seaport Village around one?"

"That works." Gareth said with a nod.

"Then someday you have to come to Cardiff and visit us." Ianto pointed out.

Gareth chuckled. "I would love to visit Cardiff. My mum and dad never took me back. All I know is I was born there, and I've never been there since."

"Well, it really hasn't changed much over the years." he admitted with a shrug. "Or if it has I haven't noticed."

Gareth shook his head with a chuckle. "That's cause you're too busy hiding underground or getting into trouble." he said with a smile.

Ianto took a playful swat at Gareth. It felt natural to banter with the guy. To be honest it was like they had always known each other and never been separated. 'How strange my life has become.' he thought with a grin.

"Oh it's strange alright, you're dating an immortal alien chaser."

"Hey! Get out of my head!" Ianto protested, making Gareth laugh.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." Gareth laughed.

Just then Alistair returned with Jack and the others.

"Uncle Ianto, lookie! Uncle Jack found us a purple sea star!" said Kit excitedly as he ran over with a bucket.

Ianto took a peak in the yellow bucket and saw a purple sea star with several other small creatures. "Jack found the sea star huh?" he asked with a smile.

"Yup! So he's gonna go with the other sea stars in our tank!" said Lilly excitedly.

"Well hurry up and go put him away." said Alistair. "We'll be leaving soon."

Both kids just nodded then ran up the stairs.

"So, just how much alike are you two?" Jack asked with a smile, taking the chair beside Ianto.

"We're almost the same." said Ianto.

"Except Velasquez likes to be a pain sometimes." Alistair muttered.

"Come now Captain! I'm not that bad am I?" Gareth asked Alistair with a smile.

"You're a downright smart ass and you know it Lieutenant." Alistair shot back.

"Yes sir, thank you sir for noticing."

Alistair just gave him a wallop on the back of the head causing him to let out an indignant cry.

"Watch your mouth or I'll ground you." Alistair warned.

"Then who are you going to fly with?" Gareth asked.

"I can just as easily take Millameton back and leave you flying with Hayworth."

"Ugh, no thank you sir." Gareth muttered.

"Wow, he's a bit of a loudmouth compared to you." Jack whispered making Ianto smile.

"Hey! Well, actually, I am a loudmouth compared to Ianto. I'm such a child sometimes." he laughed.

Ianto rolled his eyes. "It's like if you put me, Braydon and Cookie together. Then you get Gareth."

"What's wrong with me and Braydon?" Cookie asked grinning.

"Besides the fact that you are unnaturally cheerful?" Alistair asked. "Quite a bit actually."

"Aww… that hurts my feelings."

"But your still smiling?" Alonso muttered.

"Yes."

Just then Kit and Lilly ran back downstairs.

"And now that everyone's here, it's time to go." said Alistair.

.

About a half an hour later, Ianto found himself in a white tuxedo with gold buttons that matched the colors Gareth and Alonso's dress whites, the only difference in the color scheme being the dark aquamarine waist coat and matching tie.

But he had to admit, he wanted to laugh with Kit and Lilly when Jack came out wearing a matching tux.

"I've never worn all white before." Jack mumbled, looking at his reflection.

"You guys match really well." said Lilly with a giggle.

"You two look perfect together." said Alistair.

Ianto turned to see Alistair watching them with brotherly affection. Then he looked at the mirror and was surprised at just how well he and Jack seemed to go together with their matching suits. One look at Jack's face let him know that Jack was just as surprised.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were made for each other."

Something in Alistair's voice caught Ianto's curiosity. It was a tone that his brother used when he knew more about something then he was really letting on.

Ianto looked at Alistair's reflection just to see that he had turned away and was now talking to store owner. He just shook his head, unsure of what to say or do.

He knew that Alistair knew most of the biggest details in his life, everything in his past, to his true purpose in life because he held Ianto's records in his book of souls. Alistair had always told him he was created special for something, but he never told him what. All Ianto knew was that he had yet to fulfill his true purpose in life yet, and that he had a bit of a wait till he figured it out.

But for now, he couldn't help but notice that he and Jack together, really did seem to fit and it was a wonderful feeling as he realized it.

After getting everything ready to pick up the tuxedos the next day, Ianto and Jack said goodbye to Kit, Lilly, and Alistair who were heading home, then the two of them drove to the harbor where they were going to meet Gareth and Alonso for lunch.

.

"Is it just me, or does Alistair like to be very secretive?" Jack asked as they walked along the water past a couple of old clipper ships.

Ianto couldn't help but chuckle. "That's Alistair for you. The most mysterious one of the family." he said honestly. He smiled and took Jack's hand, lacing their fingers as they walked together on the sunny day.

"Is it just me, or are you more open out here?"

"I promised myself that I wouldn't shut myself in again." said Ianto honestly.

"You promised yourself huh?" Jack asked with a smile.

"Yup, something very strange happened one night when I was fifteen, and I made myself several promises that I intend to keep."

"Really now? What happened?" Jack asked curiously.

"In all honesty, I think I altered my own time line, and yours, and maybe all of our teams."

"How'd you manage that one?" Jack asked, obviously not believing him.

"I got a visit from an older version of me. He said he was twenty five. I didn't believe it for a while, but as I get older, I slowly see myself turning into the man I met that night. Besides the hair." he said suddenly, remembering the older Ianto's very short hair cut. "I like having a bit of fluff to my hair, his was flatter then a pancake."

Jack paused for a minute. "How did an older version of you visit?"

"Don't know." Ianto shrugged. "But he told me that we eventually moved back to Cardiff, that I ended up with a boyfriend 'of sorts' I suppose, because he really wasn't very comfortable with himself. He said I went back to hiding in the shadows and keeping to myself. I didn't want to be like that, not after my parents worked so hard to make me happy. He said I could change myself, so I've done everything I could to keep myself happy and be much more outgoing, though I'm nothing compared to you and the others."

"You changed yourself?" Jack asked surprised.

"Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing, but then I realize that, the older me wasn't exactly happy, now, I'm very happy with who I am and where I stand in life. Because of him, I kept in touch with Rhiannon."

"You ever wonder what life could've been like?" Jack inquired softly.

"Yes. But in all honestly I don't think I would've been open with myself, or anyone else for that matter, and I probably wouldn't of kissed you the night we caught Myfanwy."

"How do you know that?"

"Because the last thing he said was 'for the record, the first time you feel like kissing Captain Jack Harkness, take the chance to do so and see where it leads.' So I did, and I'll never regret it because it led to something wonderful."

Jack smiled and kissed Ianto's cheek. "It sure did Ianto." he said honestly. "Who knows? Maybe everything will turn out for the better because of it. Though you just can't help but wonder what might have been."

"True, but I'm sure I can assume that our relationship had some sort of strain in it before I was told to change. I could tell there was something off. But I'm content with my life and I don't want it to change."

"I probably would never have met your amazing family either." Jack said. "You and your crazy family are definitely something I wouldn't want to miss out on."

Ianto laughed a little as he swung their arms a little, gently squeezing Jack's hand. "I wouldn't want to miss out on this unusual love we share either." he said honestly, with content smile.

"Nor would I." Jack agreed. "Now then, where are we meeting Gareth and Alonso again? I'm getting kinda hungry."

Ianto just laughed even more. "Come on then, this way." he said. But deep down he felt as if another weight had been lifted off of him. He could gladly forget the 'what might have beens' because he was with Jack, here and now, happy and loved, and ready for whatever the day may bring their way, and he wouldn't give his current life up for the universe.

.

.

.

A/N:yay! Ianto admitted he messed with his own time line a bit. The next chapter will have more Ianto and Gareth interaction though, that's for sure, but for now, keep reviewing and I'll keep writing because you guys are amazing!


	28. straws, reflections, sharks and bridges

A/N: okay, a bit more of Gareth and Alonso, and some of Jack sitting and reflecting on things. I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing Torchwood related.

.

.

.

Jack had to admit, the more time he spent with Ianto on the beautiful day, the more he actually felt normal.

As they walked along San Diego harbor he realized, here he was no longer 'captain' Jack Harkness, immortal, former companion of the doctor, leader of Torchwood three, and weevil hunter extraordinaire. Here he was just Jack Harkness, an ordinary man enjoying the day, holding hands with his better half, as they chatted away about anything and everything but Torchwood and Cardiff.

Jack had to admit, getting to know Gareth and Alonso over lunch felt somewhat odd. Gareth was physically identical to Ianto, but he was very outgoing like Jack

Of course, he also noticed that Ianto was more outgoing as well when he was completely comfortable round others.

Once such instance was when they were eating lunch, sitting at a small table over looking the harbor after ordering lunch form a stand beside a small restaurant. Right while Ianto was explaining something Gareth picked up his straw and shot the wrapper, hitting Ianto in the chest. Jack had no idea how Ianto would respond but he was more then astonished when Ianto took his straw, still in it's wrapper, dipped the end in Alonso's ketchup and shot it back at Gareth, hitting him square in the forehead leaving a big red splotch of ketchup in it's place.

Of course that made everyone laugh including Alonso, so Gareth retaliated against his partner, licking his pointer finger and sticking it in Alonso's ear, so Alonso yanked on Gareth's tie, dipping the end in the puddle of vinegar and salt on Gareth's tray.

Jack had laughed as well, watching the two interact in such a way was quite hilarious, especially when Ianto got involved. He knew he was going to have quite a few interesting stories to tell the others when he returned home, of course, getting them to believe that Ianto had actually acted in such a manner was something else entirely.

But the day just continued to get more and more interesting. Especially when the three young men dragged him onto the aircraft carrier museum, the u.s.s. Midway, which was docked beside the restaurant, proving that everyday with Ianto in what he considered his home town, was bound to be just as big of an adventure as anything that the rift spit out.

But after a couple of hours, Gareth and Alonso decided it would be best if they headed home, so after saying goodbye, Ianto and Jack just continued to walk along the harbor down to a large cluster of shops.

"What a day." he muttered to himself as he watched the boats pass by on the harbor.

Ianto had run into a small shop, telling Jack to wait for him, so that's what Jack did.

He was now reflecting on earlier that day in the shop. He remembered their reflections so vividly as they stood side by side in their white tuxedos and aquamarine waistcoats. They looked like they might actually belong together, their reflections were like a perfect picture. Then he started thinking about what Alistair had said.

"It's almost like we were made for each other." he whispered, looking down at his hands. He thought about how easily their hands fit together. Normally he wasn't one for hand holding, but with Ianto, it felt natural. It was such an intimate gesture, yet it felt perfect when he held Ianto's hand.

Jack soon began thinking of the subtle differences he had noticed in Ianto and in himself over several months. When they walked together, they would walk in perfect step with each other without either one trying to do so. When they spoke together, it was like they knew each other's thoughts and could easily finish each other's sentences. Jack had been spending less nights at the hub, usually spending five to six nights a week at Ianto's, and when he did stay at the hub, Ianto stayed with him. They had picked sides of the bed, and had their own half of the medicine cabinets and closets. It was like everything had fallen into perfect place like puzzle pieces completing a picture.

He remembered how lost he had felt when Ianto had first left. Tosh had been quick to notice because he found himself literally spinning in circles to figure out where he was trying to go, he had even walked right into a wall without realizing it once. Jack had been getting lost in the place that had been his home since it was first built. He suddenly didn't want to go out in the field, he sent the others unless he was absolutely needed. If he went down into the archives, he would stand in the middle, tempted to call out to the one man who could help him find what ever file he needed.

Jack had ended up so confused that even Owen worried, trying to remind him that Ianto would be back within a week. He always told Owen and Tosh he knew that, but deep down there was a fear inside that Ianto wouldn't want to come back, leaving him confused and befuddled for years to come.

It made him wonder how he would be able to cope if he ever did loose Ianto.

Jack was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when Ianto appeared beside him smiling.

But then Ianto frowned. "What's gotten into you so suddenly? You've gone all melancholy on me." he said softly, looking into Jack's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Jack smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Hmmm….." Ianto hummed, obviously not being fooled by Jack's front. "Nope, it's still there, in the back of your mind. What were you thinking of?"

"Just stuff." Jack shrugged.

"You and me stuff?" he asked slowly.

Jack finally laughed a tiny bit. "Yeah, you and me stuff. I was wondering how I would ever get along without you." he said honestly.

"Ah, well, think about that another time, I brought something to cheer you up." said Ianto with a grin.

Jack was surprised when Ianto handed him something wrapped in several pieces of wax paper.

"What is it?" he asked, unwrapping it.

"They call it a cherry bomb. My friends and I used to eat them all of the time. It's like a cherry cordial, only, instead of just a thin layer of chocolate, is a giant glob of chocolate fudge, then a layer of chocolate." Ianto explained with a smile.

Jack couldn't help but smile a little as he looked at the unusual confection in his hand.

It looked like a large piece of chocolate with a cherry stem poking out at the top.

"By the way, I suggest you eat it upside down, or else the syrup will run everywhere." Ianto warned, already halfway done with his own.

Jack did as he was told and found himself enjoying the chocolate and cherry treat immensely.

"So anyway, what's all of that over there." he said, pointing to the land across the harbor.

"Oh, that's Coronado island. Some of my brothers live over there. It's not really an island though, it's a peninsula. It's attached to the mainland by the silver strand which is a huge stretch of beach. But most people get over there by this big blue bridge over here." Ianto explained pointing to the large bridge that stretched the expanse of the harbor.

"Right. Then why is it called an island?"

"No clue. But we'll be going over there later. My brother James invited us for a barbeque with some of his friends. Be prepared, most of them are a bit crazy. Like Dax."

"Crazy how?" Jack asked slowly.

"Crazy as in, he's a SEAL instructor, and I will never go fishing with him again." Ianto quipped.

Jack laughed. He knew there must have been quite a story behind that reasoning, and now he wanted to hear it. "Okay, why will you never go fishing with him again?"

"Well, it happened when I was sixteen, Alistair took me fishing with them. During the warmer time of year, there will be sharks in certain areas, like near San Clemente island and stuff. So we were out there fishing, and Dax caught this huge fish right?"

Jack just nodded and let him continue as he finished off his snack.

"Well, suddenly this big shark came by and ate it right off the line."

"And that's why you won't go fishing with him? Because of the sharks?" Jack asked.

"No, that's not the reason. Anyway, Dax was really pissed about it, especially when the others laughed at him, and he said something about jumping in after the shark. I thought he was kidding. Then he grabbed a knife and dove into the water. About four minutes later, Dax came up with a dead shark, the one that actually ate his fish too, and then we took it back to their base on San Clemente, and he tied it up and called all of the trainees around. He looked at them all and said 'See this shark?' well they all nodded and said 'Yes sir.' Then he pointed to the rocks we were fishing by and said 'See those rocks?' they all nodded again. So then he goes 'Now imagine about a hundred of these sharks, swimming by those rocks. Take a moment to imagine it. Everyone got it? Great, that's where your going to be swimming at 0300 hours. Enjoy.' Then he just walked away. I remember asking Alistair if he was kidding, but he just shook his head and said that Dax was telling the truth. That's why SEALs are insane, and why I'll never go fishing with the instructors ever again."

"Wow…. And that's a true story?" he asked, surprised.

"True story. You can ask Alistair about it. In all honesty if I had to choose between swimming with sharks or swimming with Dax as an instructor, I'd take the Sharks. They're less likely to bite."

"Scary man." Jack muttered.

"Scary man indeed." Ianto agreed. "Though I don't think he'll be at dinner tonight. I think it's all of the younger guys. See, the younger guys are crazy, the older ones are just plain insane."

"I will keep that in mind. So, James is the one you wanted to introduce Tosh to huh?"

"He's pretty mellow actually." Ianto said. "But yes, he's the one I wanted to introduce to Tosh."

"Okay, well Tosh told me to get to know him and tell her what he's like. She's curious now." Jack said with a smile.

Ianto chuckled a bit. "You do that then." he said with a smile. Then he checked his watch. "Come on then, we might as well head over before the traffic picks up. After six it's really hard to get around the main streets over there."

"Why's that?" Jack asked as they headed back to the parking lot, they had moved the jeep to.

"See where that carrier is?" Ianto asked, pointing across the water.

Jack nodded.

"That's NAS North Island. Where Alistair and dad work actually. That's their carrier. And on the other side of the island is NAB Coronado. That's where the SEALs train. Normally that bridge is four lanes. In the morning three lanes go into the island on one lane is open heading in this direction, at six, it turns to three lanes leaving the island and one leading to it from everyone heading home. It gets that busy. So it's best to get there before the sailors head home."

"You sure know and awful lot about that kind of stuff."

"Of course I do. Downtown San Diego and Coronado was where my friends and I would hang out on the weekends and during the summer. When you spend time on Coronado, you know when to get there and when to leave, and how to wait for the morning and evening rush to end." Ianto pointed out with smile.

"I will keep that in mind, though I don't see me driving here anytime soon. Knowing my luck I'd end up driving on the wrong side of the road." he said, making Ianto laugh.

"See, I learned to drive here with dad and Alistair. I know when I finally got the hang of it, Alistair had me drive on a weekend road trip all the way up the Pacific Coast highway to San Francisco and back. It was a ten and a half hour drive up there, and a ten and a half mile drive back the next day. Because we literally took all coastal roads."

"I'm sure it was beautiful scenery though." Jack said with a smile as they got into the jeep.

"Best road trip ever." Ianto admitted with a grin.

"Maybe someday I'll have to come back here with you so we can take that road trip together."

"Someday? More like next time you come back here. You're a part of the family now Jack, and once you're in the family, you can never escape the family reunions, trust me."

Jack just laughed as they headed off to meet Ianto's brother James.

.

.

.

A/N: The sad thing is, that story about the SEAL instructor is a true story told to me by a family friend, only his name wasn't Dax. Anyway, I updated, time for you guys to let me know what you think! I hope you liked this chapter. My favorite part had to be Ianto dipping his straw in ketchup and shooting the wrapper at Gareth, what about you guys?


	29. meeting James and a content ending

A/N; alright, this is just a quick little chapter I wanted to get up before I went to bed, so I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: don't I wish I owned Torchwood...

.

.

.

Jack had to admit to himself that Ianto's brother and their friends were definitely an interesting group to get to know.

There were about ten other guys that James worked with all young lieutenants and ensigns with very odd nick names. But they were a good lot that loved to laugh and play, and he was surprised that they were rambunctious but not the type to disturb the peace.

James had a nice little house on the water over looking the harbor and Jack couldn't help but feel comfortable as he sat in a chair on the porch with his drink and watched all of the younger men play around in the grass after dinner. But he was surprised when James came and sat down beside him.

"So Mr. Harkness, care to come join in on the roughhousing?" he asked with a smile.

"Nah, I'm good." said Jack with a smile, taking a sip of his beer. "In all honesty I'm amazed Ianto's doing that with broken ribs that are still healing."

It was true that Ianto was right in the middle of it all, happily playing American football with the rest of the group, and playing pretty rough as well, but smiling the entire time.

"Ianto's a lot tougher then he let's on." said James with a smile. "He's one of the few people that can take down just about any one of us in hand to hand combat training."

Jack was really quite surprised by that pronouncement. He knew Ianto could fight, but not to the point that he could out do someone in the special forces. He smiled little, Ianto truly was full of surprises, and every new person he met from Ianto's life, gave him more and more insight to the young man he had fallen for.

"He's actually one of the few people that can take down Alistair without help." James added. "That normally takes all of the rest of us brothers put together."

"Now that's impressive." Jack admitted.

"Absolutely." James agreed with a nod. After a moment he sighed, "I'm definitely going to miss everyone here while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" Jack asked in curiosity.

"I'm off to the UK for eight months. They picked about fifteen of us from all the teams and they're trading us to the Brits for eight months. From what I hear they decided to try something kinda like a foreign exchange thing. Fifteen of us go to London, fifteen Brits get sent here in our place."

"Now that's something I've never heard of."

"That's because it's never been done before." James admitted. "I'm the only one from my group going. So, while I know some SEALs in other groups, I don't know the ones going with me. I do know that I'm going to be stationed in Hereford."

"A new place with new people. It might be fun though." Jack pointed out. "And you won't be very far from us. There's a train that runs from Hereford to Cardiff. It's literally only about an hour drive. Maybe an hour and a half depending on Traffic."

"That's good to know. Oh, by the way, Ianto said I could stay with him for the first few days till I find a place to settle. Is that alright with you? I mean, we talked about it quite a while back, and it'd only be for about a week. If that."

"It's fine with me, it's his flat." Jack said honestly with a shrug. "Now if we were talking about you staying at the hub, that's another story entirely. That's my home."

James laughed. "Nah, I think I'll avoid that. From what I hear it's quite an unusual place." he said with a smile. "And yes, the entire family knows about Torchwood, if only because of Alistair. Ianto working for you just confirmed Alistair's stories of your existence."

Jack was quite surprised that an entire family knew bout them, but then again, it was probably more of a warning considering Alistair's past with them. "What did he tell you?"

"That Torchwood one was the one you wanted to avoid because they weren't the nicest lot, Torchwood two you never hear about because it's in Scotland and the guy doesn't do much, Torchwood three is a decent group, and Torchwood four, no one has any idea where it is."

Jack couldn't help but laugh before taking another sip of his beer. "I think you've got it right." he said with smile. "Torchwood one is gone though."

"Kit told us about that." James admitted. "And your group isn't very big is it?"

"Nope. Just me, Ianto, Owen, Toshiko and Gwen."

"Ianto was telling me about Miss Sato. She sounds like a great lady."

Jack smiled. "Tosh is really something special." he said honestly.

"He showed me a picture of her, she's gorgeous." James said with a smile. "And I hear she's mellow and shy like me too."

"You're shy?" Jack asked surprised.

"Around girls yeah." James muttered, a crimson tint appearing on his cheeks.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "I hear you're into computers like she is."

"The only ones in the family better then me are dad, Alistair and Tara."

"Impressive." he admitted. "A love of computers, a mellow attitude, and an overprotective streak. As long as you treat her well, you just might have a chance with her."

James smiled. "You really think so? Ianto said I might, but I thought she might be a bit out of my league."

"Nah, I think your good." Jack said with a smile. If he were honest, James really was quite handsome himself. He could see why Tosh thought so.

He was obviously well built from his training and his skin was tan, making his sandy brown hair stand out on the top of his head, he had a nice smile and green eyes that sparkled when he laughed.

"She saw your picture and decided she definitely liked how you looked. She just wanted me to figure out your personality and let her know what you're like."

James chuckled slightly, but turned a little bit redder. "Okay, now I kinda can't wait to move out there. I really want to meet her."

Jack couldn't help but laugh a little. "When do you leave?"

"I'll be there in about three and a half weeks. I'm kinda excited. I've never been to Cardiff, I've been to Cardiff by the sea, but that's because that's a place a couple hours north of here."

"Be prepared, it's starting to get pretty cold out there." Jack warned.

"Yeah, I already have money saved up to buy myself some nice warm clothes when I get there. I have few, but definitely not enough for the upcoming winter." he said honestly. "The funny thing is, I think I'm more excited about going there and meeting Miss Sato rather then going there for my training."

Jack laughed.

Ianto was right, the kid would definitely be good for Tosh, and even if they couldn't make it as a couple, they'd definitely be wonderful friends. He'd be the type to give Tosh the real confidence boost she needed, especially because Ianto had said that when James took on a girlfriend, he was the type to make her feel as special and loved as possible and more often then not he was the one that would get dumped, leaving him hurt. Just like poor Tosh.

Yup, they'd make a cute pair, they had common ground, similar personalities, and they both thought the other was very good looking.

Jack was somewhat excited to see where the whole thing would lead for his dear little Toshiko. But one thing he knew for sure was that Owen was going to start getting very jealous which was going to be perfect.

After about another hour, Ianto decided it was getting late and that they should head back up to Oceanside, so they said goodbye to James and his friends and started heading back over the bridge and up the coast.

"So what did you think about James?" Ianto asked.

"I like him. You're right, he'd be good for Tosh, even as just a friend. He'd definitely be a confidence booster for her." he admitted. "And they do have very similar personalities, and he'll be close by in Hereford."

"Right, I've been meaning to tell you about that." Ianto said with a blush.

"I'm guessing he'll just be taking over the couch?" Jack asked with a smile.

Ianto chuckled and nodded. "Basically." he said. "Sorry I forgot to mention it too you."

"You never mentioned that the whole family knows about Torchwood either." he pointed out with a good natured smile.

"Right, well….. Some things are just better left to be discovered with each new person you meet."

Jack laughed. Of course it was just like Ianto to avoid a direct answer to the question.

"So, how's he going to get around Wales?" Jack asked.

"He's obviously got to get a car." Ianto shrugged. "He's been to London enough times, and he's driven there, so he knows the difference. He's just never been to Wales."

"Well at least we know he'll be able to drive." Jack agreed. "Is he good with directions?"

"That's what a GPS is for now. But give him one or two trips and he'll have it down easily enough. He's good at memorizing directions and the landscaping around him. We've actually thought about having him stay in Cardiff so he'll be close by if he ever needs anything."

"I'm sure he could easily find a flat mate or something." Jack said honestly. "The kid seems easy enough to get along with."

"He is. James isn't picky and he keeps to himself pretty well. His dorm mate in college once told me that if it weren't for hearing the occasional scribbling sound from his pencil and paper rustling he'd never have known James was there. He's pretty quiet. We were all pretty amazed when he joined the SEALs and made it. But then again, Alistair once told me that sometimes it's the quietest ones that have the greatest leadership potential."

Jack smiled. He had to agree with Alistair.

Ianto was a prime example of that theory, even if he didn't know it, or admit it. He could take charge of a situation, or see things from every angle and a different perspective. He ran things like clockwork and made sure everyone and everything was always taken care of.

That's why Jack planed on leaving Ianto in charge when he left with the doctor, because he knew that when he returned, he would find the place running just as well as when he left, if not better.

The rest of the car ride went by pretty quickly as the two talked and laughed about whatever came to mind. When they had arrived home, most of the house was dark, the only light coming from the bedroom windows of the older kids who were up studying or watching t.v. since all of the little ones had gone to sleep. So they quietly headed up to Ianto's bedroom and stretched out on the couch to watch a movie before bed.

Jack couldn't help but smile as they sat together. He was sitting at one end of the couch, with his legs stretched out and his stockinged feet propped up on the coffee table.

Ianto on the other hand was stretched out on the couch, his feet hanging off the opposite end of the couch, his head resting on a pillow in Jack's lap.

Jack was really quite comfortable as he sat there with a hand on Ianto's shoulder, gently rubbing his thumb in soothing circles over the young man's shoulder blade. But after a while he realized that Ianto had fallen into a deep peaceful sleep. So he gingerly lifted Ianto's head off of his lap and moved enough to stand. Then he carefully stripped off Ianto's clothes and put him in the bed under the covers where he instinctively grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly as he snuggled down under the covers.

After watching Ianto settle, Jack then turned the television off before stripping down and joining Ianto in the bed, gently wrapping his arms around him before he fell asleep, truly happy about where his life seemed to be going.

.

.

.

A/N: yay, Tosh is going to get to meet James! If only to make Owen jealous and maybe try and win her back eventually, yay! Anyway, I got another chapter up for you guys so let me know if you liked it.


	30. random conversations before the wedding

A/N: alright, this is the first half leading up to the wedding because I figured the wedding itself would be much more entertaining from Jack's point of view which I'll try and get up in a couple of hours. Enjoy everyone.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Jack and Ianto, but I don't...

.

.

.

The whole next day Ianto found himself wanting to laugh constantly. They spent the day together at the house while the children went to school, so Jack got to meet some of the more interesting residents that he had yet to encounter.

Like Lulu who was now a fully grown elephant, and her parents. They had a wonderful time patting Jack on the head and wrapping their trunks around his torso as he fed them lettuce covered in peanut butter.

Jack also got to meet some of the more unusual creatures that resided on the island. They did actually have a liger named Rudy, the son of Sapphire the tigress and Conroy the Lion. There were Sapphire's sisters, Ruby, Emerald, and Topaz. There was a Sea Lion that had taken up residence on the North shore of the island where the children had found him trapped in fishing nets and nursed him back to health, his name was Jessie and he was incredibly friendly. There was cave of unusual bats that enjoyed flying around in daylight, There was even a female polar bear that they had named Allie, after Alistair since 'Polar bear' was Alistair's nickname.

The only time that they had left the house was to go pick up their tuxedo's at the formal shop, and Sarah had gone because she had needed to go grocery shopping, which that in itself was obviously quite an experience for Jack. While most people went to the grocery store and maybe stocked up a cart for a month, Since both Ianto and Jack were there to help, she had three carts full at a wholesale warehouse that would last for three weeks….. At most.

That night dinner had been as hectic as usual but Ianto noticed that Jack was now comfortable enough to start and continue conversations with the kids making them smile and laugh. They had all told stories of everything from how Tucker's chemistry teacher had burned off his eye brows in class in a puff of smoke, to one of Sarah's old CIA missions, to the story of how Jack and Ianto had caught Myfanwy, (leaving out the kissing part, of course).

Ianto was proud to say that Jack was fitting in just fine. But he was also a bit sad that they only had about two days left. Alistair's wedding was the next day, and they left for Cardiff the day after. Ianto had gotten Jack so far into a new comfort zone, he was somewhat disappointed to be taking him away from it so soon.

But they had managed to keep so busy during the day that the two of them were in bed and peacefully asleep by ten, just like the rest of the house.

.

The next day Ianto and Jack were the second and third ones up, the first of course being Quentin. They had grabbed their tuxedos and left in Quentin's old red jeep before anyone else was up, having to meet Alistair and the rest of the wedding party for pictures.

"You know what I just realized?" Jack had said as they walked into the hotel.

"No, what would that be?" Ianto asked with a smile.

"That the only time I ever met Sahara, was back in London. In the thirties, before she was brought here." he said.

"Well Sahara's a special case actually. She died. In…. I believe 1942, during the London Blitz. Alistair asked for a second chance, so they kinda grew up together. That's why they don't look very old. Of course a sixty year old in a six foot tall ten year old's body is very odd from what I heard."

Jack laughed a little making Ianto smile. "Yeah, that would be pretty odd." he agreed.

"Like I keep saying, my family can make Torchwood and aliens seem normal." he said with a chuckle and a shake of his head as they got on the elevator.

"That it can." Jack agreed.

When they arrived in the hotel room they found Alistair sitting on a bed with Kit in his lap, Alonso and Gareth had taken a seat at the table, and Roderick and Braydon were on the other bed with Alan, who had hair and eyes like Lilly, but he was only 7'6" as opposed to his father's 8'6".

"You know we've been waiting for you guys." said Gareth tossing Ianto a wrapped sandwich. "We figured you haven't eaten."

Ianto unwrapped the sandwich and peeked inside it smiling. "My favorite. Peanut butter and jelly with potato crisps."

"I believe you've met everyone here except Alan." Alistair said to Jack as Ianto sat down and began eating his breakfast. "He's the one Torchwood London was after so many years ago."

"Ah, so you're the one that they say get's shot in the head all of the time." Jack said with a tiny smile and a shake of his head.

"That's me!" said Alan cheerfully. "I think my last count was, I've been shot one hundred and sixteen times in the last ten years, that's like…. Once every five or six cases!"

"You know, that's not normally something to be proud of Alan." said Roderick rolling his eyes.

"That's like a pilot being proud of how many times he's crashed." said Gareth shaking his head.

"Or like if Roderick was proud of how many times he attempted suicide during WWII." said Braydon who Roderick immediately smacked.

"Or Jack keeping track of how many times he's died." Ianto pointed out.

"I have kept track of how many times I've died." said Jack. "Last time I checked it was one thousand one hundred and four. But being shot only accounts for half of it. The last time I died…. Was…. When that weevil killed me on the night of Tara's birthday."

"I remember that one." said Kit. "That's when you got home really, really late right? I remember your coat was a big mess."

"Exactly, but I think the main difference is, I don't take pride in how many times I've died." Jack pointed out.

"Eh, I have to find ways to live up to my reputation as a suicidal maniac I suppose." Alan shrugged.

"And that's why we all call you an idiot and no one can ever get used to you." said Ianto before taking another bite of his sandwich as Jack sat beside him.

"And yet you wonder why you could never keep a partner for longer then a couple of cases?" Alistair sighed.

Braydon held out a cup of coffee for Ianto. "Here, it's probably not up to your impeccable coffee standards, Alan made it."

"Hey! It's not that bad!" Alan protested.

"We were waiting to see if you'd be brave enough to taste it, since the rest of us won't go near it." said Alistair honestly.

"Well if it's bad, I'm stealing your soda." he warned Alistair.

"You'll do no such thing!" Alistair argued.

"You know dad, he's defensive when it comes to his soda." said Roderick with a chuckle.

Ianto cautiously took a sip and gagged at the terrible taste before he spit it back into the cup. "Al! You're coffee tastes like tar!" he growled. "What the hell did you do?"

"Alayna usually makes the coffee in the morning." he blushed.

"Chloe could make a better cup and she has paws." Ianto argued. "Alright, hand over the soda Alistair."

"What for?"

"Because I was the one that had to test out the nasty concoction that your son calls coffee, give it here."

Alistair let out a heavy sigh and tossed Ianto his bottle of Dr. Pepper which he then downed in a couple of gulps.

"Is my coffee really that bad?" Alan asked taking a different cup, but almost as soon as he took a drink he literally turned green and spit it back out. "Ugh! No wonder there's always a full pot left after I refill the coffee machine at the office. Why didn't anyone tell me my coffee was that bad?"

"Alayna did by telling you to never touch the coffee machine in your apartment." said Alistair. "That should've been your first clue right there."

"He's got a point." said Roderick. "Braydon's better at math then you are at making coffee."

"And that's saying something." Braydon chimed in, "I'm terrible at academics."

"You're one of the only one's in the family that is." said Roderick.

"Hey, but who else can paint like me?" Braydon asked.

"Tucker." quipped Ianto remembering the boy's side hobby. "And dad, and Niles if you count that he's the one that painted the perfect periodic table on his wall."

"Touché Uncle, touché." Braydon shot back making everyone laugh. "What about wood carving?"

"Now that's all you. No one else likes to get anywhere near sharp objects in the family." Ianto admitted. "Which is why it's kinda sad that all of us older ones love the foamy the squirrel episode of 'Almost serious suicide.'" he added as an after thought making everyone laugh.

"Do I even want to know?" Jack asked slowly.

"Probably not." said Ianto with a chuckle.

"We're all just a little bit twisted on the inside." said Gareth.

"A little bit? From what I hear you're the only RIO the Captain's ever had that actually enjoys when he plays chicken after breaking the sound barrier." said Alonso.

"He does have a point." Alistair said with a smile making Gareth laugh.

"Only me and Lieutenant commander Delgado." he said, obviously referring to Sahara.

"Not true." said Ianto. "I used to play chicken with him when I first got my piloting license with him. Of course, that's playing chicken in a couple of old war birds."

"You have a piloting license?" Jack asked surprised.

"Actually, it's about to expire. I should probably get to renewing that. But I've haven't logged in any flight hours since I left."

"Every day I learn something new about you."

"Like the fact that I fabricated my records to try and get you to hire me?" Ianto asked with a smile.

"I figured you weren't the type to shoplift." Jack admitted making Ianto laugh a little.

After about ten more minutes of talking, everyone got dressed. Alan, Roderick, and Braydon had on regular suits for the wedding. Alistair's four groomsmen were Ianto, Jack, Gareth and Alonso. Ianto and Jack matched in their white tuxedos and Gareth and Alonso matched in their dress whites.

Ianto could tell it was going to be quite an interesting wedding indeed. But he also knew it was going to be a very enjoyable one.

.

.

.

A/N: random conversations right? Anyway, like I said, I'll try and get the next chapter up in a couple of hours, but in the mean time, if I don't, you have this one to keep you entertained. But I'd still like to know if you liked it, so leave a review, and I'll try and get the next chapter written faster!


	31. Jack meets more family scary right?

A/N:Okay, now the wedding and the reception, and Jack gets to meet more of the family! Woo hoo!I hope you guys like them all!

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack and Ianto, or Torchwood, but I do own everyone else in this chapter! Sweet! I can claim something!

.

.

.

If Jack were honest with himself, he had actually found it funny after they had gotten ready. He had stood there as Ianto had straightened his tie perfectly while Alonso stood beside him, Gareth fixing his ribbons till they were perfectly straight. To watch the two brothers beside each other was really quite amusing in Jack's opinion, and he and Alonso couldn't help but smile at each other.

Taking the wedding photos had been interesting in themselves. They took their pictures in a small park by the harbor near the shops that Jack had wandered around with Ianto the day before.

Alistair, Gareth, and Alonso were dressed in Navy dress whites, Jack, Ianto, and Kit all had matching tuxedos, the white with gold buttons and dark aquamarine waistcoats and ties that matched the ribbon around Sahara's waist on her wedding dress, and all of the bridesmaids' dresses, Lilly's dress being frilly white with a ribbon that matched Sahara's.

Jack had to admit Sahara Delgado was just as gorgeous now as she was the first time around in 1936, and he knew Alistair was a lucky man to be get someone back after loosing them. Something Jack would never have the chance to do. But instead of brooding about it like he would usually have done in such a situation, he enjoyed himself, happy to be with Ianto and his family on such a wonderful occasion.

The ceremony had been a beautiful one. Jack had stood behind Ianto with Gareth and Alonso behind him. He was happy for the couple and the entire family, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat sad that he would never be able to give Ianto something as normal as a wedding, something even Gareth could share with Alonso. Of course Jack had quickly been brought out of those thoughts at the end of the ceremony, he had never seen a military wedding in person before, so the arch of sabers was something new, with Gareth and Alonso on the end, Gareth giving the commands.

And the entire hall burst into laughter because when the man at the end went to slap Sahara in the behind with the flat of his saber, she managed to use her new husband's shoulders as leverage and jump over the blade, even in her wedding dress, and she just demonstrated more of her stubbornness when she looked up at Alistair and said, "When I said I wasn't going to let them slap me, I meant it. Ask the girls, being able to jump was part of why I picked this dress."

"Apparently your family can't even do a normal military ceremony." he chuckled in Ianto's ear as they watched with smiles.

"We're Midnightstars, there's no such thing as normal." Ianto replied with a grin. "You and I are a perfect example of that."

Jack just laughed. "God I love your family." he sighed with a smile as he shook his head.

"Just wait till you meet the cousins at the next family reunion. Here's there's about seventy of us because of Sahara's family, family reunions, we get to almost four hundred."

"Oh good God." Jack muttered, not sure he wanted to know what that was going to be like.

"Anyway, promise me no more despondent attitudes for the rest of the night. Don't think I didn't feel that during the ceremony."

"No more, promise." Jack said with a true smile, giving Ianto a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'll be happy."

And he did his best to keep his promise.

At the reception, Jack spent a lot of time getting to know more of Ianto's family, though he had some trouble with Sahara's family. Besides Sahara's sister and brother in law, the rest of her family spoke broken English, half of them being Mexican, the other half being Swedish, her parents Jose and Olivia being the only two that could really speak it clearly.

Jack especially liked getting to know the children.

Like Dawn, who was a peculiar little girl that reminded him of a cartoon with fuzzy cat ears on top of her head that twitched with her giggles, and flattened when she was upset. Ianto had said that Dawn's ears had been one of Conner's attempts to be a spell spinner again, but she refused to let him reverse it. She had since been adopted by Martin Perriday, a man with a very heavy country accent that was a navy SEAL friend of Alistair's.

That's when Jack learned that family relations got complicated. Because Martin's sister Ainslie was dating J.C. Midnight, one of Ianto's cousins and J.C. was one of a specific generation where half of the children's names actually were A.J., B.J., C.J, D.J., E.J., P.J., R.J., K.C., J.B, J.C., J.P., and J.R.

"He's kidding about that right?" Jack had asked Ianto slowly.

"Nope. Those are their actual names." Ianto had confirmed. "The first five are quints that Uncle Conner adopted. But out of all of them, J.C. is the only one to go by Jay."

"I'm officially terrified to meet your cousins Ianto." Jack said honestly.

"Just wait till you meet some of the newer ones like…. What's the kid's name? Oh yeah, Suzaku Sanchez. Odd kid, sixteen foster homes in eight years, twelve suicide attempts, and at one point he was kidnapped out of a hospital and experimented on for six months, and he was a part of an American suicide unit in WWII for over a year. He was with Roderick and Jake Corruthers actually. He's Uncle Conner's apprentice, that makes only three living sorcerers in the world now."

"I feel normal." Jack suddenly found himself saying. And he meant it too. "I actually feel normal compared to your family."

Ianto laughed. "I told you Jack, we're Midnightstar's, we don't do normal."

"He'll figure it out eventually." said Quentin walking up beside them.

It was then that Jack remembered something that Tara had told him. "I heard you're two separate people sharing a body." he said. "But I have yet to see that."

And at that moment a man that looked identical to Quentin but wearing a black silk outfit appeared beside him.

"Hi, Malachai Midnightstarlight. Nice to meet you Jack Harkness." the man said holding out his hand.

Jack cautiously took the man's hand and shook it, eyeing him warily. He had no idea where he came from and it unnerved him a bit.

"Uncle Malachai was an old friend of Alistair's. They used to take souls together." said Ianto. "Now he shares a body with dad keeping him alive."

"I'm a retired angel of mass death." Malachai confirmed.

"I didn't know you could retire from something like that…" Jack said slowly.

"Normally you can't. I'm just special, and in all honesty I prefer sharing a body and letting Quentin live for both of us as opposed to taking more souls."

"I guess if those were my only choices, I would prefer that too." Jack said, unsure of what else to say.

Malachai just smiled then walked over to talk with his dear old friend.

"Is it odd for me to think that aliens are pretty normal?" Jack asked.

"No." Ianto and Quentin said in unison.

"Aliens from any sort of planet are more normal then most of the family." said Quentin. "Take Alonso for example. He's from another planet and he's more human then quite a few of us."

"He's got a point." Ianto muttered with a smile.

Jack just shook his head as Quentin chuckled and walked away. "Okay, be honest, should I just give up on trying to figure out names and relations?"

"Yes. Or else your head will hurt for the rest of the night. Kinda like how Alistair ended up his god son's older brother and he took care of his Grandpa Ashtor when Grandpa Ashtor was ten."

Jack's head was already spinning. "What now?"

"Don't bother, just give up." said a man walking up beside Jack.

Jack jumped slightly.

The guy was as tall as Alan, but he had dark brown hair and green eyes, and clothes that matched Jack's button down shirts, slacks, and braces, and he wore an old pair of glasses that looked like they belonged in WWII.

"What, are giants just common in this family or something?"

"I'm the only all human giant." the man said. "I'm Leon Ashtor."

"Ah, so you're the grandpa Ashtor I keep hearing about."

"Yes. I believe you helped rescue my brother Travis years ago."

"Oh, Travis Ashtor, he was the American friend of Roderick and Braydon's right? Are you his older brother?"

"Hardly." the man said with a laugh. "I'm the baby brother by nine years. But no, Travis and Cameron didn't grow anywhere near as tall. They topped out at 6'2"."

"Ah." Jack paused for a minute. "Wait a minute. How old are you?"

"I'm eighty one."

"Were you rescued too?"

"No, I died in 1982. I was dead for twenty four years. Travis and Cameron are other stories entirely."

"The two had to serve redemption for trying to kill each other for years." Ianto whispered as if it was normal.

"And I had to play babysitter." Leon sighed. "Anyway, they've made up now and Alistair gave us second chances so it's not so bad anymore."

"Yup, aliens are officially normal." Jack said. "No doubt about it. And me being an immortal from another planet is even more normal."

Leon chuckled and gently patted Jack's head. "You are quite normal compared to most of us Jack. That's the advantage of this family. You'll always find someone that'll make you realize that your more human then you like to think."

"Why do you think I was never that surprised when you talked about things like that?" Ianto asked with a smile.

"What I want to know is how you managed to keep a family like this secret for so long." Jack said honestly.

"The same way Torchwood keeps themselves quiet. Although now can you see why I changed my name back to Jones? Can you imagine what Yvonne Hartman would've done if she knew about my family?"

Jack nodded. While there were people in this family that were so unusual it scared him a bit, he didn't want to know what Yvonne Hartman would've done to anyone of these family members who just wanted to live a normal life while finding others to relate to. One's like little Dawn with her fuzzy ears and Alan and Lilly, especially considering Torchwood had gone after Alan once before. This family deserved to live in peace, even if it wasn't what one would consider a normal peace.

Just then someone tugged on his pant leg, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Jack looked down and smiled at Dawn who was looking up at him, her blonde ears twitching as she grinned. "Can I help you Dawn?" he asked as he picked up the seven year old.

"I was wondering what you guys were talking about." she said with a giggle.

"We were talking about how I still can't believe your ears are real." he fibbed with a grin.

"They are see? I have no human ears." she said, lifting up her hair.

Jack just found himself laughing.

It was true, Dawn had no human ears. Just the fuzzy ones on top of her head that matched her hair.

"You'd think that the man with a pet pterodactyl would find that her ears aren't exactly the most unusual thing in the world." Ianto said with a smile, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Myfanwy's just as much your pet as she is mine. You named her."

"So I did." Ianto shrugged.

"You have a pet pterodactyl?" Dawn asked in awe. "But they're extinct!"

"She fell through the rift back home in Cardiff."

"Oh yeah. The rift that runs through space and time. There's only two big ones on earth. The one in the middle of Cardiff, and the one in the Bermuda triangle, but that one takes things in more then spits them out."

Jack was somewhat surprised at how much the child knew. "How'd you figure that out?"

"I study physics and stuff." she said proudly.

"This family is a thinking tank of child geniuses." said Jack honestly. "If I ever need help with anything, I'll be sure to ask someone in this family."

"Then ask Niles if he can make a better Weevil stunning spray would you? If you notice ours isn't working anymore." Ianto pointed out.

"That would be nice. I'm sure Owen and Tosh would find some of his formulas to be especially helpful."

"Niles created a fantastic pain killer for Jeremy and I." said Leon. "It works quick with no side effects and it's practically impossible to have an allergic reaction to it."

"Our medic would be thrilled." Ianto said.

"Speaking of your medic, I would like your current medical records updated Ianto." said Leon sternly. "Your Auntie Tuyen and I would like to know if your up to date on everything, and if you've had any recent injuries or what not."

"No recent injuries," Ianto fibbed, making Jack want to laugh. "Promise."

"He had some cannibals cause a couple of broken ribs last week." Jack said, wondering what their reactions would be.

Leon gave Ianto a very strict look, and Ianto elbowed Jack hard in the ribs.

"Ouch!"

"You didn't have to tell him!" Ianto growled quietly.

"You're family kinda deserves to know." Jack said with a tiny cough.

Dawn just giggled at the two of them. "You know they would've figured it out one way or another Uncle Ianto." she said. "It's better to tell them now then feel their wrath later."

"True, just don't tell Auntie Tuyen, please Grandpa Ashtor?" Ianto begged.

"If you get your medic to send me your current medical records I won't tell Tuyen, if not, I will have her find his number and scream in his ear, and if that doesn't work, there's always Tara."

Jack had no doubt that they could easily find Owen's number or get Ianto's records, and he figured he'd rather be on the giant doctor's good side as well. "I'll have Owen send them as soon as we get back." he said.

"You're serious?" Ianto asked surprised. "I thought that was classified stuff."

"You're family's gonna find it anyway and I would prefer Tara not destroy Tosh's firewalls again." Jack pointed out.

"She wouldn't have to. She helped Tosh create the new security protocols."

Jack winced a little. "You know, when I helped your brother all those years ago, I didn't expect your family to become this integrated into Torchwood anyway."

Ianto laughed.

"The whole family knows about Torchwood Mr. Harkness." said Dawn. "Even me! They've been chasin' after members of the Midnight family since the turn of the century thinking that us unusual humans were aliens."

"It's true. Part of why I let myself be taken in by Torchwood one was to keep tabs on them for the family. Then you know why I tried to get into Torchwood three. But that it never had anything to do with the family. You lot in Cardiff never bugged us. Just London." Ianto admitted.

"Sheesh, a Torchwood double agent for an unusual family, that is a first." Jack admitted.

"Actually I'm not the first. My cousin Lucas used to help smuggle friendly aliens out of Torchwood one and my Uncle Conner would use his portals to send them home. Of course, that was back in the sixties and seventies."

Jack remembered back when Torchwood London started having issues with alien prisoners going missing, but to know that Ianto's family had something to do with that was quite a surprise.

After a while Jack realized that the reception wasn't like most weddings, it felt more like a formal family reunion for the Midnightstars, and he was just there, given the chance to meet people that he could feel relatively comfortable around, and he definitely loved spending time with all of the kids in the family. At one point he found himself sitting at a table with all of the kids gathered around him as he told them stories of far away galaxies and aliens from other planets, Dawn and Lilly sitting in his lap.

"I'm going to miss all of those kids when we leave." Jack told Ianto honestly after the children had gone to go play a little.

Ianto smiled at him. "I did notice that they really seem to enjoy being around you." he said.

Jack had found himself growing just as attached to Lilly and Dawn as he was to Kit and Tara, the two little girls having fun clinging to his pant legs or sitting in his lap. He even danced with the two of them a little, making them giggle the whole time, each one taking turns standing on his feet as they spun around slowly.

But one thing Jack knew for sure was that the wedding he had just attended was definitely an unforgettable one, and he'd have plenty of pictures to always remind him of a fun but highly unusual day.

Later that night after the wedding, Jack and Ianto were so exhausted from the day, that they took the short walk on the grounds of Midnightstar Sanctuary down to the little room where they could watch the fish before they fell asleep, one last time.

As Jack drifted off to sleep, he found himself feeling somewhat sad to leave. While he found a lot of people in the family quite abnormal, compared even to him, he did find people he could relate to for once in his life, people that gave him the chance to feel average. It was a feeling he was going to miss when he returned to Cardiff. But he had found that everyone had officially accepted him as a member of the family and they had all invited him back for all of the family affairs if he could get away for them.

Jack smiled and curled up closer to a sleeping Ianto, resting his head on the young man's chest as he listened to his slowed heart beat. He was finally happy, truly happy, because Ianto had given him that chance. He was glad that Ianto had continued insisting for a position at Torchwood three, was glad for that pterodactyl hunt, and he found himself definitely happy that Ianto had somehow managed to change his own time line, for whatever reason, making him open up, and giving Jack someone he could truly love for the first time in nearly a century. He could see why Ianto wouldn't change what they had for anything in the universe because Jack had found, that now, he wouldn't either, and with that last thought, Jack drifted off to sleep.

.

.

.

A/N: quite a family huh? I don't think anyone ever thought Jack could be considered normal, until I brought the Midnightstars into creation anyway. Now then, as always let me know what you think of Jack getting to know a highly abnormal family, and I'll start the next chapter! And as usual, thanks to my faithful readers and reviewers, and starting next chapter, we're back in Cardiff, so be prepared to see how else the entire thing changes!


	32. time to say goodbye, for now

A/N: time to say goodbye to the Midnightstars and head home to Cardiff, but don't worry, they'll pop up again here and there. I honestly didn't think that you guys would love them so much. But since you do, I'll gladly keep putting them into the story. But for now, Back to Cardiff!

Disclaimer: I'll never own Torchwood unfortunately.

.

.

.

The next morning Ianto and Jack had gotten up extremely early since they had to head to the Los Angeles airport for their nine 'o clock flight. Sarah had volunteered to take the two and they had left the house around five forty five in the morning before the rest of the house had even stirred.

Most of the drive Jack talked to Ianto and Sarah with a smile, but Ianto could feel just how sad he was to be leaving, it was mingling with his own disappointment about heading back to Cardiff and returning to the everyday alien drama that was Torchwood.

If he were honest with himself, Ianto realized he would definitely miss his mother the most out of everyone in his family. He hated hardly ever getting to see her, and he resolved to call her far more often.

When he had first moved into the house, Sarah and Quentin had only been dating, but living together. But Sarah loved Ianto like a son anyway, always there when he needed a hug, and ready with his favorite snack when he got home. When Ianto was sick she had sat by his side till he felt better, when he had a difficult assignment in class she was there to help. Sarah had helped him out of his shell and when he had left for college, he felt extremely homesick, admitting that it was mostly because he missed his mother.

This time, returning to Cardiff would be no different.

But Ianto had a feeling that Jack was going to miss her too. Sarah had acted motherly towards him despite the extreme age difference, and Jack had treated her like his elder, letting her take care of him the way she took care of all of the children.

When they had arrived at the busy airport Sarah accompanied them as they checked in.

"Alright now, you two behave yourselves over there in Cardiff." Sarah said, hugging them both tightly.

"We'll do our best." Jack said with a smile.

"Is there a difference between behaving ourselves and getting into trouble?" Ianto asked. "I mean, we could behave ourselves all we like, but we're Torchwood mum, trouble follows us around like there's no tomorrow."

Sarah laughed and kissed his cheek. "Alright then, behave yourselves and keep the trouble to a minimum."

"Now that makes more sense." he said hugging her, and returning the kiss.

After one last goodbye they turned to head to the security checkpoint. But then they heard their names called and as soon as they turned back around, Ianto and Jack found themselves on the bottom of an infamous family dog pile.

"You didn't think you were just gonna up and leave without saying goodbye did ya?" Tucker asked with a grin, laying on top of Jack.

"Yeah, did you guys really think you could get away that easily?" Tara giggled from her spot in the middle of the pile.

"You should totally know better!" said Katie.

Ianto couldn't help but laugh. He should have known better then to try and escape without being noticed. "How'd you lot even get here?" he asked.

"Dad woke us up and drove us all the way here to say bye!" said Cookie, also at the bottom of the pile.

"Bye bye Jack, bye bye Ianto." two year old Cody said from the top of the pile, waving down at them.

"We can't go bye bye if you're all on top of us Cody." Jack laughed.

"Jack and Ianto stay?" Cody asked innocently.

"Jack and Ianto have to go home sweetheart." Sarah said kindly as she gently lifted him off of everyone.

"But… I wan' them to stay." Cody whimpered as everyone got up.

"Well we'd love to stay little guy, but we can't." said Jack gently ruffling the hair on Cody's head.

"Our pterodactyl needs to be fed by someone that she won't try and eat." Ianto pointed out.

"When are you going to come back?" Kit asked curiously, him and Lilly hugging Jack's pant legs.

"Yeah, we don't want you to be gone forever again." said Tara, holding onto Ianto.

"I know, but it's a lot harder for us to leave Cardiff. It's one thing to live in the same city, or state for that matter, but we're a whole continent and ocean away." Ianto pointed out.

"Otherwise we'd definitely come visit more often." said Jack.

"Well any time you two need to get away, even for a day, let me know. I'm sure Malachai or Alistair could help get you here." said Quentin with a smile.

"That's about the only thing my doors are useful for these days anyway." said Malachai appearing beside him.

"Anytime we could get away from Torchwood for a day, it would be graciously accepted." said Ianto honestly. He would love to be able to visit home more often with Malachai's help, and he knew it was an offer Jack would accept as well.

"But for now we have to get back and make sure the other three didn't get into too much trouble while we were gone." Jack said, kneeling down to hug Kit and Lilly.

"You have to call us more!" Tucker protested.

"and send lots of pictures." said Mercy.

"And you have to promise to come home at least twice a year." said Niles.

"Both of you." Marina added.

"Maybe this upcoming summer, if you're all really good, and I can get the time off, we can take a family trip to visit Ianto and Jack in Cardiff." said Quentin.

"Meeting all of you is probably the only way Tosh, Owen and Gwen would ever believe a family like this exists." Jack said with a smile. "You guys are always welcome in Cardiff."

"And you're always welcome to come home, both of you." said Sarah.

"Next time we gotta take Jack to a baseball game." said Kaleb.

Ianto smiled. "I would have to agree with that. Let me know when the Padres are playing the Rays, I'll get the time off and force him home to see that game." he said honestly.

"I've never seen a baseball game." Jack said honestly.

"You've never seen a live rugby match and you've lived in Cardiff for how many years?" Ianto inquired.

"As I told Gwen, I've got other things to do." Jack shrugged.

"Well I don't know if she's ever going to get you to a rugby match, but we'll all drag you to a baseball game!" said Macy.

"Or better yet, a blue angels show!" said Sammy.

"Or better then that, a red bull air race!" said Luis.

"Or the festival of tall ships!" said Stephaney.

"And fleet week!" said Joe. "Definitely fleet week!"

"I can already tell that any time I decide to return, you guys will have already made plans for what to do with my time." Jack laughed.

"That's because there's a lot of stuff that we love to do that we'd like to show you!" said Tessa.

"So it's official, we have to go back during baseball season, in October for an air race, September for the festival of sail and fleet week, and we'd probably have to see about the blue angels." Ianto said honestly. "That's a bit tougher to plan. Unless we see the Miramar air show during fleet week."

"And you guys have to come visit us in Cardiff this summer, so behave yourselves." said Jack with a smile.

"We will!" all of the children chorused.

"Now then Ianto and Jack have to leave or they'll miss their flight." said Sarah.

"Is that a bad thing?" Tara asked.

"Yes Tara, that's a bad thing." said Quentin with a smile as he shook his head. "So everyone say goodbye, we'll try and bring them home more often okay?"

So everyone said goodbye and soon Jack and Ianto were making their way through the security check point and they arrived at their gate just in time as their boarding group was called.

As they got on the plane and took their seats Ianto could feel just how sad Jack was to leave.

"Don't worry Cariad." he said softly as he gently took Jack's hand. "We'll be back, of that you can be sure of."

Jack smiled little. "You're family is like the first real family I've had in over a hundred years." he said honestly.

Ianto returned the smile. "Exactly, now that you're in the family, you'll never escape it. They will drag you home with me, no doubt about that."

"You're family's the best adventure I've had in years."

"And it'll only get better."

After a moment of silence Jack asked, "So how come you don't seem to miss your father as much as you miss your mother?"

"It's not that I don't miss him as much." Ianto said honestly with a shrug. "It's that I'm used to missing him. My dad's navy. I'm used to him being gone for six months out of the year. When the September eleventh attacks happened, my dad was gone for nine months, and eight the next deployment. So I'm just used to it."

"Is it difficult when he leaves?"

"I always cried when he left." he admitted. "I always knew he'd write, and call, and come home, but I cried anyway. No matter how many deployments I've watched him leave on, it doesn't make it any easier."

"Then how'd you cope?"

"I took his place when he left. I had to cope. When dad was home, he was the Commander in the household, when he left, I took over."

Jack smiled, "you helped run the family?"

"Yeah. I did. New kids came in, I'd help get them integrated into the family and into school, I helped with the finances and budgeting, and I helped mum keep track of everyone's records and histories. That's why I do so well at Torchwood. I learned from running the family for my dad."

"You just took over? That easily?"

"Well it wasn't exactly easy." he said with a tiny huff and a shake of his head. "The first deployment, it was like, I was trying to fill his shoes, but they didn't fit very well, so I was finding it hard to walk, hard to function, but I grew into them quick enough. I think it helped that I knew he was always going to come home."

"Out of pure curiosity Ianto, what did you want to do after college? Obviously not Torchwood."

Ianto couldn't help but laugh. "I wanted to be a shooter on an aircraft carrier. Like my cousin Isaac. They're the ones that signal that the planes are ready to launch and they press the button that launches the catapult. Funny really when you think about how I am, especially now."

"I would never have guessed." Jack said honestly with a smile.

"Most people wouldn't have."

Jack chuckled softly, and rested his head on Ianto's shoulder. "So, what was Malachai talking about with doors?"

Ianto smiled a little. He knew Jack was just continuously talking to get his mind off of retuning to Torchwood and all of the work he probably had waiting for him. So he decided to indulge him and continue talking.

"Doors are kind of a weird thing in my family. Remember I told you about that grey door that got me stuck back in the Anzio invasion?"

"Yes…." Jack said slowly.

"Well, a few people in the family have the ability to make these portals. Doors. Each person has a specific colored door and they can usually control them enough to get to specific places. That's how Aldair appeared in my room that day." he explained. "Now if it's a red door, that's Uncle Conner, Black is Alistair, brown is Uncle Malachai, dark blue is Alan, and dark green is Roderick. That's why the grey door kinda threw us all. No one in the family has that color. Lilly will be able to make portals like that when she gets older."

Jack shifted and looked up at him, obviously lost, making Ianto smile.

"Yup, the rift and I are as normal as normal can be." he said.

Ianto laughed. "Maybe, that's a good thing." he said as Jack went back to resting his head against Ianto's shoulder. He gently kissed the top of Jack's head and let his own cheek rest against Jack's fluffy brown hair.

It was going to be a long flight, but at least this time he had someone to make it a little better.

They had arrived in Cardiff really quite late and they had managed to get a taxi home to Ianto's flat, and almost as soon as they walked in the door, Ianto and Jack had dropped their bags in the living room, stripped down to their underclothes and climbed into bed, exhausted from a long flight, and suffering form some serious jet lag.

Ianto knew as he drifted off to sleep with Jack in his arms that they were going to sleep till well into the afternoon. But he really didn't care. He was happy to just be home in bed with Jack beside him, he tightened his grip on Jack's shoulders slightly, then he drifted off to sleep, a smile on his face.

.

.

.

A/N:Gotta love the family dog pile, but for now, everything will return to normal by Torchwood standards... or is it? Anyway, you guys know what to do! I wrote for you, so if you guys leave me some reviews like you usually do cause you're all so awesome, I'll try and get the next chapter up by tomorrow night!


	33. back to Torchwood

A/N: Back in Cardiff, and back at Torchwood, life is back to normal for now. Well, as normal as it can be when you chase aliens anyway. But for now, well, at least there's stories for Jack to tell the others right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, so what else is new?

.

.

.

When Jack finally managed to wake himself the next day, he really wasn't all that surprised as the room got slowly got darker with each passing minute. He gingerly lifted his head, so as not to disturb Ianto and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was already after four thirty in the afternoon. He let out a heavy sigh and gently extracted himself from Ianto's grip, then he went to take a shower deciding to let his young lover sleep just a bit longer.

In the shower, Jack couldn't help but think about just how lucky he had been to have met Ianto's family. They were quite unorthodox, obviously, but they were wonderful. Once Jack had gotten over the initial shock about how strange everyone was, he found himself feeling at peace. Especially with the children who always did what they could to make him smile.

He chuckled softly to himself as he remembered them coming to say goodbye at the airport. He had been astonished when he had found himself on the ground with over twenty kids on top of him and Ianto, upset that they had tried to leave before everyone could wake up.

Then all of the children had told him what they wanted him to see when he returned. He had no idea who the Padres or the Rays were, he never watched baseball let alone kept track of it, The blue angels…. Well he figured it had something to do with planes since Ianto had mentioned a Miramar air show. The festival of tall ships sounded interesting. Ianto had told him about how a bunch of old clipper ships from around the world would come into San Diego harbor for the festival, and how the family went every year. Jack had heard of the air race since it was big in most countries and a few had been in London over the river Thames, but he never knew that Ianto's family would be into it. As for what fleet week was…. Well he assumed it had something to do with a fleet of ships.

Jack shook his head with a smile as he stood under the hot spray of the shower. Yes, he'd definitely have to go back because he knew a lot of the things the kids had mentioned would lead to quite a memorable experience, just like when Ianto, Gareth, and Alonso had taken him onto the U.S.S. Midway museum.

That was when he learned that Ianto had extensive knowledge of aircraft carriers and aircraft due to Quentin and Alistair, who always had Ianto come out for the tiger cruise on their carrier. Between Ianto and Gareth, Jack's head had been spinning with information.

After a few more minutes of remembering his trip Jack had gotten out of the shower and dried off before walking over to the bed, and gently shaken Ianto awake.

"Why are you waking me Jack?" Ianto mumbled, burying himself back underneath the blanket.

Jack smiled. "Come on Ianto. It's already almost five in the evening. Get up and take a shower, I'll go get ourselves some dinner okay?"

Ianto sighed and got up with a grumble, then he retrieved some clean clothes before heading into the bathroom shutting the door behind him.

Jack just laughed a little, then he got dressed and went out to pick up some food.

He went down the street to a little Chinese restaurant that he and Ianto had taken to ordering from. Then he got their usual order before going back to the flat. When he got back nearly fifteen minutes later, he was surprised to hear that the shower was still running.

But then the water was turned off and about five minutes later Ianto walked out into the living room in a warn out pair of jeans and an old blue t-shirt.

"Hungry?" Jack asked.

Ianto smiled. "Starving, what'd you bring?"

"Chinese."

"I was…. Actually craving that." said Ianto surprised.

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, I actually managed to figure out what you wanted, without actually being able to read your mind."

This time Ianto laughed. "Apparently you've just come to know me that well." he said with a smile.

Dinner between the two of them was great. They ate in peace together, cheerfully chatting about random things, whatever came to mind.

"So, who are the Padres and who are the Rays? I mean, if I'm getting dragged to their game, I'd like to know where they're from." Jack said.

Ianto laughed. "The Padres are San Diego's baseball team, and the Rays are from Tampa bay Florida. My Aunt Jamie lives down there in Orlando. She's Alistair's adoptive mum actually. I used to go visit during the summers and we'd drive down to Tampa for a few Rays games while I was there. So they became my second favorite team. Of course, when they play together, I sometimes have trouble picking sides."

Jack chuckled a little. "I guess it would be hard to decide." he said with a smile. "And what's fleet week?"

"It's when most of the navy ships that are stationed in San Diego come home for the week. It's quite fun really. There's all sorts of stuff to do. We usually skip the car show, but we've never missed a Miramar air show." Ianto paused. "Well…" he began thoughtfully. "That's kind of a lie. I missed last year's. But other then that I've seen it for eight years in a row. I've done the Marine boot camp course, that's a tough one, but I beat my brother's times. There's always the fleet week baseball game when the Padres wear their special uniforms. Ship tours. All sorts of fun stuff."

"Sounds like it'd be a blast." said Jack honestly. "I've never seen an air show. Unless you count aliens flying over the city as an air show."

Ianto laughed. "No! That doesn't count!" he said cheerfully. "The blue angels are the best when it comes to flight demonstrations. Then the thunderbirds, then the Canadian snowbirds. They were pretty neat when I saw them."

"Snowbirds and thunderbirds huh? Nice names." Jack smiled. "So you like air shows huh?"

"Alistair collects planes, and I used to spend a lot of time flying with him. That's why I got a private piloting license. He's a certified instructor, so he taught me. In all honestly joining the family I found myself doing things I never thought I'd do. Like play the violin, which is how I bonded with my dad, and fly which is how I became close with Alistair." he shrugged. "I just learned to have fun, and be a kid, not exactly an average kid, but a kid."

"Hey, whatever works." Jack shrugged. "I learned to act like a kid when I was there."

"I saw that." Ianto said with a smile. "So I can just imagine how you'd be at some of these events."

"I can't wait." said Jack making Ianto laugh.

After they finished dinner the two curled up on the couch together and watched a movie before deciding to go back to bed to sleep away the night since they knew the next day was going to be quite hectic.

.

The next morning Jack woke to Ianto waking him up early.

"Come on now Jack, time to return to work." Ianto said with a smile.

"But I don't want to go back to work." Jack muttered. He really didn't want to go back, he was too comfortable.

"Come now Jack, we have to go back to work." he told Jack sternly. "Don't make me roll you out of bed again."

Jack sighed as he climbed out of bed and began to get dressed. "I would prefer if you never kick me out of bed like that again." he said honestly, making Ianto chuckle.

"Then don't make us late for work." Ianto said with a smile.

"I'm the boss. What does it matter if I'm late for work?"

"Well can you just imagine the look on Tosh's face if she finds us both hiding somewhere so we can scare her? She didn't know we were coming home."

Jack starred incredulously. "You can be cruel sometimes you know that right?" he said.

"You right, that is cruel. So we'll bring Tosh in on it and scare Owen and Gwen!" he said smiling.

Jack smiled. "Much better. Love that idea." he agreed.

Ianto laughed. "Then lets get going so we can meet Tosh."

It wasn't long before the two were in the car and heading to the hub.

As they drove the familiar roads of Cardiff, Jack realized that, while he had missed a little bit of Cardiff, like his favorite pizza place, his favorite roofs to stand on, and the snow that would soon come with the winter, he found himself missing sunny Midnightstar Sanctuary and all of it's animals. The beaches with lovely blue water, and the sea lions on the buoys, the warm weather with the light breeze.

He hadn't really needed his coat out in Oceanside and San Diego, but when they arrived home, he found himself huddled in it as the cold wind bit through the fabric.

"I'm already missing California Ianto." Jack sighed as they headed into the hub.

Ianto smiled a little. "I know, but I kinda missed the hub too." he shrugged. "Anyway, I'm going to go make us some coffee then I'll go say hello to Myfanwy."

Jack smiled and followed Ianto into the kitchen.

"I did get all of my paperwork done before I left." he said honestly. "You can ask Tosh. I made sure of it. Of course, I've probably got a fresh batch of paperwork on my desk waiting for me."

Ianto smiled. "You won't have to finish it all today." he said kindly. "I'm sure the archives are a bit backed up today too. I'll need some time to get it all sorted."

Jack chuckled, Ianto giving him a reprieve on his paperwork? That was a first. But he just leaned over and gave Ianto a gentle kiss on the lips. "Thanks Ianto. I promise I'll get it done by tomorrow night though."

"I'm sure you will. I trust you now. Just don't make me regret it." he said with a stern smile as he handed Jack a cup of coffee.

"Got it." Jack nodded, then he headed off to his office, smiling.

Ianto was perfect to take over Torchwood when Jack left. He had confirmed that when he told Jack about how he used to take his father's place as head of the household when the man would leave on his deployments. Jack knew that he had made a good choice. He just hoped he wouldn't be gone for too long. He didn't want to be away from Ianto any longer then he had too.

Jack sat down at his desk and groaned at the pile of papers sitting on top.

"Stupid paperwork." he sighed. But he paused when he saw a large envelope very similar to the one he had first received the invitation and plane tickets in, and it had his name on it, in Alistair's neat calligraphic handwriting.

He reached for the envelope and opened the flap as he moved the rest of the files to the side. Then he dumped the contents out on his desk.

Jack felt himself grin as he saw the large pile of photographs on his desk. Alistair had sent him copies of many of the wedding photos, and pictures from his family adventure itself.

There was a picture of him dancing with Dawn standing on his feet, another with Lilly sitting in his lap. There was a picture of him standing beside Kit in their matching tuxes, and one of him talking to Alonso. There was a large family photo that he had been in, standing beside Ianto, with Tara in front of him. The picture of the entire wedding party in front of the harbor was there. But then he found a photo that he fell in love with. It was him and Ianto, posing side by side, just the two of them, looking just like their reflection in the formal shop mirror, with the harbor behind them.

He turned it over and found a long folded note with Alistair's handwriting taped on the back.

'When I said you two were perfect for each other, I meant it.

Don't let anything come between you two, you make each other

happy, and you fully understand each other. That will come in

handy as time goes on, trust me, I know these things. Always confide

in one another and never loose the trust you two have, and above else,

enjoy every minute you two have together, because one good memory

can easily outweigh several of the bad. The more you smile, the more

Ianto will follow your example. He has a very specific purpose in life

and it requires him to be able to make the best out of everything and be

happy, but until he realizes this, you have to help. So keep cheering up,

and really enjoy your long life for once, and I expect you to come home

with Ianto often. Fleet week starts at the end of this month and you both

better be there,so until then I want you to remember and live by

this family's Five simple rules of life:

Use your mind to do great things,

Use your heart to do things even greater,

Do your best to find peace,

Do everything you can to be happy,

And know that you are always loved.

Sincerely,

Your big brother Alistair,'

Jack found himself grinning broadly. Even Alistair had accepted him as family, and the rules were perfect for someone like himself to live by. He prayed that at the end of the month, the rift would be silent enough for him and Ianto to take a few days off. But for now, he'd just continue to work, happy that he actually had something to really look forward to for once.

"Hey, welcome home."

Jack jumped high enough that his knees hit the desk. He looked up and smiled. "Hey Tosh! I didn't hear you come in!"

"I noticed." said Tosh walking over and sitting down beside him.

"So how was everything while we were gone?"

"I let Gwen and Owen deal with the missions unless I was absolutely needed. If Owen got an attitude with me I'd sit and think of what I was going to tell Ianto when you guys got back."

Jack laughed a little.

Tosh smiled and reached over to pick up the picture of Jack and Ianto together. "Wow, look at the two of you. Very handsome together." she said. "I like the tuxes. They were perfect."

Jack smiled and took the picture as she handed it back.

"So how was meeting the family?" she asked.

"It was like the best adventure ever!" he admitted with a smile making Tosh laugh. "God, most of these kids are crazy smart, Kit and Lilly took me to the tide pools to look for sea stars, that was fun. I found a purple one. I was petted by a family of elephants. Ianto really does share his room with a cheetah named Lana, and there are four tigresses, Sapphire is like the mistress of sarcasm though. I met a sea lion, and I've discovered who Lieutenant J.G. Velasquez is and why he reminds everyone of Ianto!"

"Why? Who is he?" Tosh asked in awe.

"Ianto's twin brother. He looks identical to Ianto, but he sounds like me."

Tosh paused and wrinkled her nose in disbelief. "You're lying aren't you!"

"No seriously!" he said, picking up the picture of the wedding party. He pointed to Gareth. "That's Gareth. He was adopted and he's lived in the U.S. pretty much his whole life. And this guy next to him, that's his boyfriend Alonso Frame."

"No way! He really does look like Ianto!" she said taking the picture. "I'm astonished!"

"He's a nice kid too. But I must admit, one of the things I adore about Ianto is his welsh accent. Gareth, well, it took me some time to get used to his voice."

Tosh laughed. "I can't believe Ianto has an identical twin! That's crazy!"

"Well apparently they didn't know until about a year ago, and this is the first time they ever met. Boy was that a lunch. Gareth shot his straw wrapper at Ianto."

"And what did Ianto do?"

"He shot a ketchup covered straw wrapper and hit Gareth in the head, and when Alonso laughed, Gareth gave him a wet willie, and so Alonso dipped the end of Gareth's tie in salt and vinegar, Gareth tossed a fry at Ianto who spit an ice cube back him. It was quite a lunch."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Ianto here?" Tosh asked.

"Yup. I figured you guys would never believe me!" he said with a smile.

"You're right, I don't. Anyway, speaking of Ianto, where is he? I know he has to be around here somewhere."

"He's up feeding Myfanwy."

"Ah, then I'm going to go up to say hello to Ianto real quick. I'm glad you guys are back though." she said with a smile, then she got up to leave.

Jack just chuckled and shook his head. Then he picked up the picture with him and Ianto again, as he smiled. It was a perfect picture, a special picture, and he knew just where to put it. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his little tin full of pictures of him over the years. Then he pulled out the photograph of him and his wife on their wedding day, so many years ago. He smiled sadly, but then he placed the photograph of him and Ianto inside the paper so that the photographs were side by side.

"You told me you wanted me to be happy, to find a way to be happy after you left." he whispered to the picture. "I think I finally found a way. I hope you can be proud of me again, like you were all those years ago."

After one last look at the two pictures side by side, he folded the paper back up and placed it back in the tin before putting the tin back in his desk. Then he cleaned up the pictures scattered on his desk, he'd find a special album to put them in when he got the chance.

But just as he began thinking of when he could do that, the hub alarm sounded signaling Gwen and Owen. He shook his head and smiled. Then he stood up deciding to go greet them.

Life was back to normal for Jack….. For now anyway.

.

.

.

A/N: Now Jack and Ianto are home, Tosh of course doesn't believe that Ianto would shoot a straw wrapper at anyone, let alone one covered in ketchup, and Gwen and Owen are still being obnoxiously flirty with each other. So what's going to happen next? Well if you kindly leave me a review, I will gladly tell you in the next chapter.


	34. A chapter all about Toshiko!

A/N: I"m on a roll with this tonight! I've had the idea for this chapter in my head for a while and I just had to write it down and get it up, a nice long Tosh centric chapter with her and James! I figured it was time Tosh had something to smile about since she had to deal with Owen and Gwen while Jack and Ianto were gone. I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood unfortunately.

.

.

.

Tosh had been relieved when Jack and Ianto had returned, she finally had someone she could talk to again to get her mind off of Owen and Ianto was perfect for that, listening like any overprotective loving brother would. But she still felt somewhat empty, and then Mary came along, and gave her that terrible pendant.

She was so sick of listening to Owen and Gwen pining over each other. Then one day Ianto seemed to be having a bit of trouble with something and in his mind he sounded tired, but what scared her was there were two other voices in his head. In the back was a terrifying, dark whisper that had no discernible words, then there was a calming one that surely wasn't Ianto, it sounded more like Jack, whispering reassurances, that he would feel better soon. As for Jack, when she couldn't read him, it was very strange.

Tosh felt so much better when she had destroyed the necklace. It was gone, and that was a heavy burden taken off of her shoulders.

Ianto had been the one to debrief her about it, and he listened to her patiently and quietly like he always did, giving her a shoulder to lean on, and a comforting hug.

"Ianto, are you alright?" she had asked him, worried about what she had heard.

"I'm fine Tosh. Something was just bugging me a bit that day. I wasn't feeling very well." he said honestly.

"But those voices…." she trailed off.

Ianto let out a heavy sigh. "There's always been something dark nagging at the back of my head, ever since I was about thirteen. It doesn't get to me much, I usually keep it tamped down, but every now and then when I'm feeling a little weak, it'll take the opportunity to surface. My brother said it's not me going mental, it's actually something in me. Something he can't quite get to, so I'm stuck with it."

Tosh shivered a little. To think there was something dark in such a kindhearted person, it worried her a little. "What about the other voice? The nice one?"

This time Ianto smiled at her. "That would be Gareth."

"Your twin?" she asked in surprise.

"Yup. My twin. We discovered that we could communicate telepathically. Being empathic helps strengthen that bond apparently. But we feel each other's emotions when we need, and keep track of the other's well being. He knows when I'm sad or tired and he's always there to try and coax me into smiling, no matter what he's in the middle of doing. Sometimes, if it happens while he's working, he'll let me feel his excitement when he flies with Alistair and that can usually cheer me up right quick when Jack can't."

Tosh finally smiled a little. "Well at least I don't have to worry about the one voice."

Ianto chuckled. "Nope, Gareth is there to cheer me up, or he's there when I need someone to vent to, or pick on, or banter with when I don't feel like dealing with Owen."

This time she laughed. "Then next time you talk to him, tell him I said hello, and that I'm glad he's there to cheer you up."

"I will do that." he said with a smile and a nod. "Anyway, Jack said you can have tomorrow off, so try and relax a bit, okay Tosh? Things will get better, trust me."

Tosh let out a heavy sigh and let her shoulders slump. "I suppose they will."

"Tell you what, why don't you meet me at Carluccio's for lunch tomorrow? We'll talk more then after you've had a goodnights sleep?"

Tosh smiled. It was just like Ianto to try and cheer her up. Whenever she was having a rough day they'd go out for lunch together just to sit and make small talk, but it always made her feel better.

"Sure. What time do you want to meet?" she asked.

"How about…. Noon?"

"Sounds perfect." she said with a nod.

That night Tosh went home and washed every sheet and blanket she had, before watching a movie and doing her best to get a good night's sleep, knowing that she at least had something to look forward to the next day.

.

When Tosh woke up, she smiled, feeling better since she had the chance to sleep in a bit. Then she took her time getting ready before leaving to meet Ianto for lunch. It was a good start to the day and she hoped it would only get better.

But when she arrived at the restaurant, she was surprised when she didn't see Ianto, she was right on time and normally Ianto would be somewhat early, so it didn't make sense.

"I wonder if he forgot." she said to herself, but then she shook her head. "No, that's not like him." Ianto had a better memory than anyone else she knew. She jumped when she felt someone gently tap her shoulder.

"Miss Sato?" came a shy voice.

Tosh turned around and was surprised to find a very shy man watching her. It was then that she recognized him from a picture Ianto had shown her. "James?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded.

Tosh could hardly believe she was actually getting to meet Ianto's brother. She was really quite surprised, and the man was even more handsome in person.

"I hope you don't mind. Ianto asked if I'd meet you for lunch today. Is that alright?"

Tosh smiled. She almost wanted to laugh. "I thought you lived in California."

"I do. For the moment." he shrugged. "I'll be moving to Hereford for about eight months. But I came out to get used to Wales, and Ianto thought I'd like to say hello. He's told me all about you. You're even prettier in person."

Tosh blushed shyly. She could hardly believe her ears. Here was this gorgeous man, Ianto's brother, acting just as shy and telling her that she was pretty. And to top it off, he was here to take her to lunch. She was pretty sure that Ianto had planned this, but in reality she didn't mind.

"So, does that mean he turned my lunch date with him into a bit of a blind date with you?" she asked.

James chuckled softly. "Something like that. You don't mind do you?"

Tosh smiled and shook her head. "Not at all. From what Ianto and Jack have told me about you, I really couldn't wait to meet you. They didn't tell me you'd be moving out here to Wales though."

"Well, since it's a bit chilly out here, especially for me, why don't we get inside and have a seat and we'll get to know each other over something to drink?"

"Sounds like a great idea to me." she agreed with a nod.

James smiled and Tosh felt her heart flutter a little. Then he opened the door and stood aside.

"Ladies first." he said, an adorable blush to his cheeks.

Tosh could already tell that, even though her day had started out good, it was about to get even better.

Soon the two of them were sitting at a table by the window, talking over a couple of glasses of wine and lunch and Tosh found herself feeling really quite comfortable with James. Age wise, they were only a couple of years apart, and to top it off they were able to have conversations about almost any subject and agree on almost everything and when they had disagreements they would just smile and call it even since they would each give good reasoning for their opinion.

But there was never a bad word passed between them and James listened just as well as Ianto did, when it came to what she had to say, or whatever she wanted to talk about. If she wanted to change the subject, he would let her, never questioning. Tosh had been surprised when she easily admitted that she had committed treason to help her mother, and she was suddenly worried about if it would ruin her chance with him, but James had just smiled and said, 'Most people would do anything to protect their loved ones. No matter how difficult it may be.' That was when Tosh learned that he was a sniper, and that he always had quite a bit of weight on his shoulders as well, adding to the list of commonalities.

"So, Ianto told me that yesterday you had a pretty rough time at work."

Tosh shook her head a little. "Rough but considered somewhat routine." she shrugged.

"I suppose the abnormal is routine working for Torchwood." he shrugged.

Tosh starred. "Ianto told you?" she asked astonished. That wasn't like Ianto at all so it truly surprised her. Then she remembered Kit and Tara.

But James shook his head with a tiny smile. "No, we Midnights and Midnightstars are warned about Torchwood from the time we join the family on." he said. "Torchwood one anyway, because of what they did to my brother and my nephew Kit. Alistair always said to watch out for Torchwood one, especially while Yvonne Hartman ran it. But that Torchwood two and three would never bother us. I joined the family, just after Ianto. I was seventeen when I was adopted."

Tosh could hardly believe her ears. There was an entire family that knew about Torchwood, that was highly unusual, especially considering he knew so much about them.

"So who are the Midnights and the Midnightstars?" she asked.

"Our families. There's two families, and two family sanctuaries." he explained. "Midnight Sanctuary is run by our Uncle Conner. He's Uncle Malachai's half brother and he's run Midnight Sanctuary since the late 1800s. Our dad Quentin Midnightstar and Uncle Malachai Midnightstarlight started our Sanctuary almost ten years ago, when they adopted Ianto. So Ianto was the first official Midnightstar. I was the fifth."

"Your name is Midnightstar?"

"Funny name I know. But it's our name." he shrugged with a smile. "Not bad really considering my original last name was Zerponopolis."

Tosh suddenly wanted to laugh. "Zerponopolis?"

"Yup, Zerponopolis. Compared to that, Midnightstar is awesome." he said grinning.

"So how'd you end up adopted?"

"I was taken out of the New York foster care system after my third suicide attempt." he said honestly. "The first I jumped off of a bridge, the second I jumped in front of a car, and the third I slit my wrists. Somehow I made it every time."

Tosh was surprised to see that James's face hardly showed any sign of a negative memory. Instead he had shrugged about it like it was nothing.

"I don't believe that someone like you would try." she said honestly.

James lifted up his sleeves and held out his arms, wrists up, and Tosh saw the thick white scars that stood out against his tan skin.

"It wasn't exactly my best idea." he said, straightening his sleeves. "But it got me to where I am now, and while I kinda regret it, I'm pretty happy with where I ended up. Not that I'd suggest it to anyone, it was painful, but look at my family."

Tosh couldn't hardly believe that it was true. She was glad that, while she had gone through some dark times, she had never gotten so depressed that she'd tried to take her own life. Even after she lost her mother. But then she began to wonder, did that mean that her kindhearted friend had attempted as well and that's why he was adopted?

"What about Ianto? Why was he adopted?" she asked curiously.

"All I know is that Mom and Dad supposedly rescued him from a place called providence park psychiatric hospital. If you want his whole story you'd have to ask him." James said.

"Others in your family?"

"About two thirds have attempted, and about half of them have tried more then once." he said honestly. "Not the younger ones, like Tara of course, Tara came with her sister Sammy who was very abused and very mistrusting at the time. But ones like Marina, Danny, Luis and Shasta, and a lot of us older ones that are old enough to be off on our own. Then you bring the cousins into it and the number gets a bit higher."

"But from what I hear your all really quite cheerful."

"We are. But it's not what you think." he said quickly. "It's not that we're all suicidal maniacs that get a kick out of hurting ourselves. It's because we're happy. Because our mom and dad worked to make us happy. I didn't see myself living past my sixteenth birthday. Joining the family, well, now I hope I live to be a hundred. I learned that, even if part of your life is dark, there's still a light to be found. You just have to search. That's why Jack fits in so well with us. You're never alone. You'd fit in well with us too Tosh." he said honestly.

Tosh suddenly realized why Jack had been invited to go with Ianto to meet his family. Jack had been so alone that the family was willing to welcome him with open arms and help him find people that even he could relate to, like Ianto's uncle. And now Ianto was introducing her to James, to give her that same opportunity, that way she wouldn't feel alone in the world.

"Is that part of why Ianto wanted me to meet you?" she asked slowly.

James nodded. "Yup. That and when I saw a picture of you two I asked who the gorgeous lady standing beside him was so he proceeded to tell me and I found that the more I heard about you the more I wanted to meet you."

Tosh couldn't help but smile as she blushed. "You really think I'm that pretty?"

"You're stunning. I'm not one to say things just to flatter someone. I'm a Midnightstar and a SEAL, I always tell the truth. Well, almost always, but the only time I've ever lied, was when I told my sister Amanda that I liked her boyfriend. Which I didn't and I gladly proved it when he made her cry."

Tosh laughed a little. "How bad was the damage?" she asked.

"I broke his jaw with a nice right uppercut. He never messed with any girl in my family again." said James proudly.

"So that's why Ianto said that if Owen gets to me I should let him know." she said with a smile.

"Exactly!" he said with a smile.

"I get it now. You're all very overprotective brothers aren't you?"

"We've got overprotective sisters too." he pointed out, making her laugh even more.

"No wonder Jack said your family was an adventure!"

"Sweetheart you have no idea!"

"I'd like to meet them someday." she said honestly.

"I'm sure you will." he told her.

Tosh just smiled. Yup, her day was going great now thanks to Ianto. James had gotten her thinking 'Mary who?' and 'what does it matter if Owen and Gwen feeling like having an affair is fine, it's not my problem now is it?' as she became more and more comfortable with the man sitting across the table from her. She didn't want the lunch date to end.

James obviously noticed because he smiled and said, "Why don't we go walk around for a bit? I'm thoroughly enjoying this date and I'm definitely not ready to say goodbye yet!"

"That sounds like a lovely idea!" she said. "How about we take a walk up to Queens arcade and walk around there for a bit since only part of it is outside."

"Even better. Maybe I could get some warmer clothes for when I move out here so I'm not automatically rushing out for a heavy jacket before I can actually get settled.."

"I did notice that you're not exactly warmly dressed." she said with a smile, pointing to his regular button down shirt and a light coat. "Especially since it's about to get cold."

"My point exactly." he said. "I may be able to swim in freezing cold water, but that doesn't mean I want to walk around in the frigid wind without a thick coat if I don't have to."

Tosh just giggled a little as James called for the check.

She insisted on helping pay for her half, but he had just smiled and said, "It's a date Tosh, and on a date, the guy pays."

So as he finished signing the check Tosh sent Ianto a text that said 'thank you Ianto, you're the best! :)' Then she put her phone away, as they stood up to leave.

James held out his arm, and Tosh gladly linked her arm with his as they left the restaurant smiling and laughing together.

The rest of the day Tosh found herself smiling more and more and soon the forgot everything that had bothered her the day before. There was no inkling of Mary in her thoughts, she found herself cheerfully thinking 'Sod Owen and Gwen, I doubt their day has been as perfect as mine.'

Shopping with James had been quite interesting, trying to find him clothes that would help keep him warm for when he moved there, and helping him figure out how much everything was.

She was surprised when he had gotten her a lovely scarf that actually matched the larger one he had gotten for himself, and later that evening they walked to her favorite pub, wearing their matching scarves as he kept his left arm linked with hers, his right hand carrying their bags.

Since he had gotten lunch, Tosh bought the first round of drinks as they continued chatting together.

But they were both quite surprised when Jack and Ianto showed up with Gwen and Owen, of course it wasn't like anyone could ruin Tosh's day. So she really didn't care.

Ianto appeared delighted at how well the two were getting along, and Gwen and Owen were obviously doubtful when Ianto introduced James as his older brother.

The group had moved to a table and Tosh was comfortably sitting between James and Ianto, feeling perfectly content between the two brothers and it was the first time she got to see Ianto act very outgoing the way Jack had told her he could.

"Since when do you wear a suit and tie?" James asked Ianto.

"He always wears a suit." said Tosh.

"Yeah, ever since the day he started." Owen said.

"That's not like you little brother." said James with a smile. "You hated ties and suits."

"This coming from the guy who now sports a buzz cut when he never let anyone cut his hair shorter then three inches." Ianto shot back. "How's Dax by the way? And you never did tell me if you enjoyed your swim with the sharks that night."

Tosh giggled, remembering the story James had told her about Ianto's fishing trip with his SEAL instructor.

"Captain Lancaster is nuts! You know that." James said.

"So wait, you were one of the trainees that had to swim with the sharks in that story Ianto told me?" Jack asked.

"You should've seen the look on his face when Dax said they'd be swimming in shark infested waters at three in the morning!" Ianto laughed.

"Who swims with sharks?" Gwen asked.

"He does apparently." said Tosh with a smile pointing to James.

"Not that I enjoy it." James huffed. "I'd rather swim with Allie."

"That's because Allie's a friendly polar bear that likes to give you hugs!" said Ianto. "Anyone would rather swim with Allie then Dax."

"You've hugged a polar bear?" Owen asked.

"That bear hugs everyone Owen. It hugged me!" said Jack with a chuckle. "It was a real bear hug."

"The only other person in the family that can give bear hugs even close to Allie is Alistair." said James.

"That's cause he's almost as big as a bear." Ianto laughed.

"You have got to be making this shit up." Owen scoffed.

"No really. Just about anything we tell you about our family is real." said James.

"I've seen a picture of Ianto with a cheetah licking his head." Tosh confirmed.

"She'd always lick the same place too." Ianto sighed. "That's why my hair sticks up in the front. Cause she licked it there constantly and it's never gone back to normal."

"Apparently cheetah slobber is like the ultimate hair gel." James chuckled.

"Oh, don't forget the time that Lulu sneezed on you and you ended up covered in elephant snot." Ianto pointed out. "That was like glue right there. Mum had to sit and scrub at you in the shower with a scrub brush just to get your clothes off!"

Tosh found herself laughing with Jack. "You had an elephant sneeze on you?" she asked James with a smile.

"Yeah, not a pleasant experience." James sighed.

"Where do you live, a zoo?" Gwen asked.

"Might as well be." Jack said. "You should see Niles and his clawless komodo dragon."

"Komodo dragons are venomous." Tosh pointed out.

"Niles is enough of a chemistry genius, he found a formula that stopped Larry from producing poison." James said with a smile.

"It's name is Larry?" she asked with a smile.

"You should've seen Niles when dad said he could keep him. It was hilarious. Larry was only a tiny baby lizard at the time and Niles picked him up and said 'I'm gonna take you home, and I'm gonna name you Larry, and we'll be best friends,'" James imitated.

"And they are best friends." Ianto pointed out.

Tosh just smiled and shook her head. "Yup, next time I want to go meet the family since Jack had his turn." she said.

Gwen and Owen shook their heads.

"Count me out. They sound like a scary lot." said Owen.

"Oh come on, what's so scary about having a demon king for an older brother?" said Ianto with a smile.

"And having a retired angel of mass death as an uncle?" James added.

"Seriously guys, stop making things up." said Gwen apparently getting a little annoyed.

"They're not making things up, trust me, they're not." said Jack. "It really freaked me out the first time Malachai appeared out of thin air. That was just bizarre."

"I imagine it would be." Tosh said with smile.

The rest of the evening Tosh found herself enjoying the time she spent with not only James, but an extremely cheerful Ianto.

After they had all eaten and finished off their drinks, Ianto had agreed to let James escort Tosh home since his flat was only a block away from hers.

Since the two of them still weren't quite ready for the entire date to end yet Tosh had invited James in for some tea and they sat on her couch together just enjoying each other's company.

But soon James realized that he really had to go, so Tosh walked him to the door and as they said goodnight, James surprised her by giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. As it deepened at bit, Tosh felt herself get a bit light headed as her toes curled in her socks and her arms wrapped around his neck. They continued kissing for several minutes until they had to break apart for air.

Tosh opened her eyes to see James smiling sweetly at her.

"Next time Owen wants to be a jerk about the last person you snogged, you can tell him that it was me and that I don't take kindly to him picking on such a wonderful woman." he said making her blush and smile at the same time.

"I'll be sure to." she said, tugging him down for one last little kiss. "Goodnight James."

"Good night Gorgeous. I hope we have a chance to have a day out like this again soon." he told her with a wink and with one last kiss he left, leaving Tosh with a dazed smile.

Tosh locked her door, then decided to get ready for bed, but she was still in such a daze that she was crossing her flat twice to do the same thing. She suddenly knew how Jack had felt with Ianto. She couldn't help but smile though.

Thanks to Ianto she had met a wonderful man that had made her feel special all day, like she was all that mattered and she had never had someone who had treated her that way. It was certainly a fantastic day that she would remember, for a long time, if only with the strip of pictures that she and James had taken together in a photo booth at Queens arcade that was now on her fridge.

That night, Tosh went to bed with a content smile on her face, and it didn't take long for her to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

.

.

.

A/N: yay! a whole chapter with Tosh getting to know James, and learning a bit about Ianto's crazy family. Like I said, I've had the idea for this chapter in my head for a while, and I really wanted to get it out. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know if you did! Thanks everyone!


	35. a dark voice, a shower and a flash back

A/N: I figured I'd just kinda give a little flash back of where I decided Ianto's dark little voice came from, and figured I'd give it a nice cheerful ending, so enjoy guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Torchwood related of course.

.

.

.

After they had sent James home Ianto found himself beaming at Jack who was grinning right back.

With a little help from Alistair, they had brought James to visit for a day, and it appeared that he and Tosh had a fantastic time together.

"Well that went well!" said Jack with a smile

"Better then I could have imagined!" agreed Ianto.

"And now I officially understand how the doors work!" Jack told him proudly.

Ianto laughed. "You understand the doors now?"

"I understand the doors now!"

Ianto wanted to laugh again at Jack's excitement. "Just remember. If a door appears and it's someone in the family, they'll open the door from their side, if it's just a door that sits there, don't touch it, sometimes the door's creator can't control where it is and where it's going to lead to."

"I will certainly keep that in mind. I don't want to end up in WWII a third time. Or WWI a second time for that matter."

"And I would prefer to stay away from them as well." said Ianto, sitting on the bed.

"Did you see the look on Owen's face when Tosh admitted that her and James had been out on a date all day? Priceless!"

"Absolutely!"

The look on Owen's face when he had seen Tosh and James had almost mirrored the look of jealousy Gwen had shot Ianto when he admitted that the last person he had snogged was Jack.

He was right, Tosh and James were a perfect match. Of course, he knew that they probably would only be able to be together while James lived in Wales, but they were the type that would remain good friends till the end. A perfect temporary couple that would make Owen jealous to no end, and a perfect friendship that would last a lifetime. It was exactly what Ianto had been hoping for.

"I was thinking Jack. If the rift is quiet on the days that we go to fleet week with my family, should we invite Tosh along?" he asked. "I mean, she wants to meet everyone and I'm sure her and James would love the chance to see each other again before he moves out here."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea Ianto!" Jack said sitting down on the bed beside him. "I'm sure Tosh would love to go out there."

"We could invite Gwen and Owen too, though I don't really see them wanting to go."

"I think Owen would get too jealous of James." Jack said with a chuckle.

"I think he would. That and if he got too snarky, someone in the family is more likely to deck him then let him continue."

"Yeah, maybe we should just stick with Tosh for now." agreed Jack.

"Maybe we should." Ianto said with a nod, but a large grin.

"You would find it funny wouldn't you?"

"I would!" Ianto said trying to hide his smirk. "But I think Tosh would like to see Kit and Tara again."

"I think so too. Kit, Tara, and James. Just the thing to make her smile."

"Absolutely."

"So….. Is Lana really the reason why your hair sticks up with this little twist in the front?" Jack asked with a smile, as he gently tweaked Ianto's hair.

"Yes. It used to kinda stick out flat, but then after several months of Lana licking it right there, the exact same way almost every morning, it stuck. So instead of a cowlick, I've got a cheetah-lick, so to speak." he shrugged with a smile, making Jack laugh. "Now then, why don't you go watch some television, while I take a shower, then we'll have a nice quiet night together?"

Jack smiled and kissed him. "Sure you don't want me to join you?" he asked.

"I'm sure." he chuckled shaking his head. "Maybe in the morning."

"Alright, if you're sure." Jack shrugged, then he went out into the living room.

Ianto smiled and watched as Jack left the room, then he headed into the bathroom to take a nice long shower.

About five minutes later, Ianto was sitting in the tub, holding his knees up to his chest as he sat and contemplated things, the hot spray of the water gently falling on his head.

"What a week." he sighed. He was getting tired of Gwen and Owen, together the two were driving him mad. He was glad he hadn't caught a glimpse into their actual thoughts like poor Tosh did. Just their emotions were making him crazy.

Then there was when Tosh caught him on a bad day. He hadn't been feeling well, he had caught a small virus that made him a bit ill. He had walked around all day with a slight fever, and a feeling of rats in his stomach at the thought of food since he had been quite queasy. But he had hid it so Jack wouldn't sit and try and baby him all day.

But that voice, that….. Thing inside him, took advantage of his sudden weakness from being sick, and it bubbled to the surface, trying to whisper in his ear.

Ianto remembered how he used to hear the voice all of the time. Nagging at him, telling him he was better off dead. It was the voice that made him attempt suicide, telling him that everything was his fault. His mother's death was his fault, his father's anger was his fault, that he just needed to die and let them drag him to hell, and he had believed it.

Then he found it nagging in his head when he joined his new family, but it would react violently to Alistair. Hissing angrily whenever he was around, shouting harsh words of hate till Ianto's head would swim. Telling Ianto to stay away because Alistair was an evil monster that would hurt him. So he avoided the giant. He avoided the first family member that wanted to get close to him.

When Alistair would come visit, Ianto would hide in his room, or in his hideaway out on the further end of the island. When his parents suggested going to visit Alistair, Ianto would come up with a lame excuse to stay away. At least that way the voice would be a little quieter, whispering dark words as opposed to screaming.

But after several months of avoiding the man, Ianto was forced to spend the day with him and it had scared him.

Now he remembered it as if it were only yesterday. Ianto closed his eyes and played back the memory in his head.

.

Ianto was terrified of spending the day with Alistair. He was afraid that the voice would sit there and scream and hiss until his head split from the pain. Was afraid that the giant would hurt him some how. But as he walked beside the towering brother, he felt nothing but kindness and affection, and heard the voice that wanted the supposed 'creature' dead.

"So tell me Ianto, why do you always avoid me?" Alistair asked, smiling kindly at him.

"I don't know." he shrugged, looking down at the sidewalk. "You're really quite intimidating."

Alistair chuckled softly. "That doesn't mean I'll hurt you." he said honestly. After a moment's pause he said, "It's not like I asked to be this big. I was just…. Made this way."

Ianto looked up to see Alistair looking up at the sky thoughtfully. "You know, don't most people that grow over seven feet tall have physical deformities?" he asked.

"Ah, now see, that's the million dollar question right there. Humans that grow this tall have physical deformities."

Ianto blinked in curiosity. "What do you mean, humans? Are you not human?"

"I am not." Alistair said with a smile. "Why do you think I have yellow eyes, and very sharp teeth?"

Ianto starred at him. He realized he should have felt terrified, his new brother wasn't human. But something felt comforting about him. But then heard the voice in his head screaming at him.

_I told you!_ it shouted angrily. _I told you, he is not human! He is a monster! Stay away from him! He will take you to hell when you kill yourself!_

Ianto recoiled suddenly, flinching as the voice got louder.

Alistair frowned slightly. "Are you alright Ianto?"

"I'm….. okay." Ianto said somewhat shakily. He closed his eyes and was trying hard to tamp down that voice, but it was no use. It wouldn't stop screaming.

"Hmm…..You're lying." said Alistair softly.

Ianto opened his eyes and jumped when he found himself face to face with Alistair, the giant kneeling down to get a better look at him.

Alistair tentatively took hold of Ianto's arms, trying to look at him closely.

Ianto tried to back away, but Alistair's gentle grip tightened slightly, just enough that he couldn't get away, but not strong enough to hurt him.

"Ianto, look at me, please?" Alistair asked.

Ianto looked at his brother's face. He found that despite his size, Alistair looked quite young, almost as young as him, but when he looked into those yellow eyes, he saw something else. There was a frightening animalistic quality about them, and they showed incredible wisdom and Ianto felt himself relax in his brother's grip when he saw and felt something reassuring and kind coming from Alistair.

"There he is." Alistair muttered softly. "You've got a nasty little demon in your head. He's been screaming at you this whole time, hasn't he? That's why you've avoided me?"

Ianto stiffened slightly, surprised by the sudden revelation. "So…. I'm not going mental?" he asked slowly.

"No, of course not." Alistair said gently running a hand through Ianto's hair.

The touch was comforting, making Ianto smile a tiny bit, but then he winced when the voice let out a nasty hiss.

"Oh, he wants to be pain doesn't he?"

Ianto nodded.

"Well, let me see, I can at least suppress him for a bit, then we can figure out who he is and why he's inside of you."

He jumped a little when Alistair gently pressed their foreheads together.

The voice got louder for a moment, letting out angry snarls and growls. But suddenly it began to get a little quieter and the voice was forced down into the deeper darker recesses of his mind.

"There now? How's that?" Alistair asked.

After a moment Ianto found himself smiling. He could barely hear the thing, it sounded like a tiny hum in the back of his mind, and it was certainly quiet enough for him to ignore.

"Better?"

Ianto nodded. "Much better! What did you do?" he asked curiously.

"I forced him down a bit. He's under a little barrier in your mind for now, until we can figure out what to do. But before we go about that, I say some lunch is in order, what about you?"

Ianto let out a little laugh and nodded. "Lunch sounds good." he agreed.

So the two grabbed a couple of sandwiches and decided to go on a harbor cruise so Ianto could see what the north and south bay looked like.

He found himself feeling extremely content sitting on a bench at the back of the boat, eating his lunch with Alistair beside him.

"So, how old are you?" Ianto asked finally.

"Physically, I'm only nineteen. Well, this body is only nineteen anyway, I'm actually seventy seven."

Ianto was somewhat taken aback by the announcement. "So…. You're like dad." he said slowly. "You're older then dad!"

Alistair chuckled and nodded. "I am older then dad. But he took me in before I could remember just how old I really was. So he's my surrogate dad."

"So if you're not human, what are you?"

"I am a demon from hell. The king of the demons in fact and master of dark souls, higher then even Abbadon. I served directly under Lucifer. But I'm very special. I have a human heart, and a human soul, I live and love just like any average human, I'm just a bit…. Unusual."

Ianto suddenly found himself laughing. "Such a powerful creature in the underworld and yet you fly fighter jets?"

"I do. I ran away because I wanted a normal life after taking so many souls. I didn't want to take anymore. But now I'm a father as well. I have three boys and a daughter. Alan, Roderick, Braydon, and Lilly."

"Wow, a dad too. So you live a pretty normal life huh?"

"As normal as it can get in this family." Alistair shrugged. "Being aberrant is something of a requirement in this family."

"But, I'm kinda normal, aren't I?" Ianto asked. He had always considered himself relatively average. But then, why was he being adopted into a very unusual family. "Am I normal?"

"You are a very special young man Ianto." Alistair told him with a smile. "You're an empath for one, that means you can read other people's emotions, and you're really quite smart. You have an incredible memory. You have a lot to offer the world Ianto, so don't you ever let that think in your head tell you you're better off dead. It's lying."

"What is it?" Ianto asked.

"Well that's a good question, let's take a look at your records and see what we can find shall we?"

Ianto jumped when, with a snap of Alistair's fingers, a gigantic leather bound book fell into his lap.

"What is that?" he exclaimed.

"This is Angelica. She is my book of souls with a soul." said Alistair with a smile.

"Angelica?"

"Yup. Why don't you come out and say hello darling?" he said, tapping on the front cover.

Ianto watched, astonished as a beautiful figure stepped off the cover of the book. A tiny lady, as tiny as a fairy, with a golden dress and silver hair.

"You needed me Master?" she asked with a smile.

Ianto leaned over so that he was at eye level with the tiny woman. "Wow!" he whispered in awe.

Angelica turned to smile at him. "Hello there!"

"Hi."

"Angelica, we need some help figuring out what is in poor Ianto's head here." said Alistair. "Think you can help us?"

"Of course master. Just let me get a good look in his head and I'll know exactly what we're dealing with." she said with a smile. "Hold out your hand."

Ianto looked at her and did as he was told. But he was surprised, when she took one of his fingers and tried to turn his hand, palm up. He did so and she hopped into his hand, and he sat there for a second.

"I can't get a look in your head if you hold me all the way down here!" she giggled.

"Oh, right, sorry about that." he muttered, then he held her up so she could lean over and touch his head. "This is kinda weird."

Alistair chuckled. "Angelica takes some getting used to by humans." he said with a smile.

Suddenly the book flipped open in Alistair's lap, pages flying until it stopped.

"What is that?" he asked, seeing the picture black figure with frightening teeth on the page.

"He's a no name, but one of Ornias's followers. He's the harasser and he apparently likes to harass you." said Angelica. "Unfortunately, there is no way to get rid of him. He's locked himself in there, so we'll just have to try and keep him at bay with a barrier."

"You mean to say that the thing in me is evil and I can't get rid of it?" Ianto asked, his voice shaking. He didn't like the sound of that. He wanted it gone.

"Well we could, but….. It would more then likely kill you." Angelica said honestly. "It's not like an exorcism that you see in human movies. He can't posses you though, just cause you a lot of discomfort and headaches."

"Well, at least we can tamp him down." Alistair sighed, closing the book.

"So, I can't get rid of it?"

"I'm not willing to risk your life if we can keep him quiet." said Alistair. "You have a very specific purpose in life, so you have to live."

"I have a purpose? Is it a bad purpose?"

"No. It's a good one. You just have to wait till you get to that point in your life to figure it out." Alistair shrugged.

"So, people are actually given purpose's in their life?"

"Certain ones yes. Not everyone is given an exact purpose. Some people are created to just live their life and eventually die. They're just here to enjoy what they can, be a friend when someone needs them, or to just be here. Others have a special reason for creation. Like you. Or… say like dad. He was meant to take in kids like you. To have an impact on several lives, that will eventually have a specific impact on other things."

Ianto's mind reeled a bit. This was insane. He now had a brother who was a demon, that said he had a demon in his head, and now he was claiming that Ianto had a specific purpose in life. He just shook his head and sighed.

"You'll get used to it. Between Malachai and I, this family views the world a lot differently then most people." Alistair said.

"I've noticed. So…. Everything that bibles say about angel and demon hierarchy, is that true?"

"Not really." he said with a smile. "I mean, some of it's true, some of it's not."

"I've never heard of an Alistair mentioned in the bible." he pointed out.

Alistair laughed a little. "That's because I was quite recent. I was created to replace another, that used to take dark souls. But he would take some of the wrong souls angering the angels, so he was destroyed and I was created in his place."

"Right…." Ianto murmured.

"I have faithful subordinates that take care of things. I only return when absolutely necessary, and it has to be like….. A dire emergency. Like…. Say… Abbadon get's free from his prison and tries to run loose on earth."

"So if something like that happens, I know to call you." Ianto deadpanned making Alistair chuckle.

"For now though, just accept that I'm your big brother, and I'm here to help you. I want you to smile Ianto. Try and forget everything that has happened, and try to focus on what's in front of you." said Alistair, gently carding his fingers though Ianto's hair.

"Yeah, like that barge full of sea lions!" said Angelica.

Ianto suddenly looked up to see a line of flat barges covered in barking sea lions, then there was a small machine shop in the middle with two men and a tiny dinghy, followed by another line of barges and more sea lions.

"Oh wow! Real sea lions!" he said surprised as he stood up and walked over to the railing Angelica still in his hand.

"Boy are they noisy!" she giggled, as they barked.

From that day on, Ianto found himself doing just as he was told. The demon in his head was kept at bay, and he became close to Alistair who was almost like another father to him.

.

Ianto shuddered as the water turned cold. "Okay, obviously time to get out." he muttered, quickly turning off the water.

He hopped out and quickly dried off, before getting dressed and walking out to find Jack sitting on the couch.

"It's about time you finished up, I was getting worried that something had happened to you." Jack said turning off the television. He stood up and walked over to Ianto, wrapping his arms around Ianto's waist, and gently nuzzling Ianto's neck. "I was about to go in and check on you."

"I'm fine. It was just one of those showers where you sit and think till the water runs cold." said Ianto with a tiny smile. "But don't worry, I wasn't brooding. It was just an old memory I was going over." He shivered slightly when Jack gently nipped his neck.

"Cold?" Jack asked.

"No."

"Then why are you shivering?"

"You know exactly why!" he said. Then he let out a burst of laughter as Jack started tickling his sides. "Jack! Knock it off!" he gasped through peals of laughter. "Stop it or you're sleeping on the couch tonight!"

"Aww, you don't really mean that do you?" Jack asked playfully.

"I mean it Jack! Cut it out!"

But Jack just continued to tickle him relentlessly.

So Ianto hooked his foot behind Jack's right ankle, pulling up as he lunged forward, knocking Jack to the floor.

Jack coughed as Ianto looked down at him with a smile. "I warned you!" he said.

"That was mean!" Jack protested as he stood up. "I will get you for that!"

"Oh you will, will you?" Ianto asked with raised brows.

"In more ways then one." said Jack lunging to grab Ianto.

"Sure you will, you've got to beat me first old man!" he laughed, spinning away from Jack and running into the bedroom. He laughed as Jack grabbed him and pinned him down on the bed.

"I can't believe you called me old man!"

"Well you are one!" Ianto shot back, flipping them over so that he was on top.

Jack tried to flip them back around but Ianto kept him pinned, before he leaned down and kissed Jack hard on the lips. "Admit it Jack, you've already lost tonight." he said.

Jack was about to answer when Ianto kissed him again, stopping his words. "Are you going to admit it?"

"Nope." Jack said shaking his head.

"You will." Ianto said slyly.

"No I'm… oooh." Jack gasped as Ianto gently bit his neck.

"Are you sure?" he asked playfully, purposefully, blowing warm air against Jack's ear. He felt the older man shiver with delight.

"Okay, alright you win." Jack said suddenly as Ianto gave him a sexy grin.

"That's what I thought." Ianto laughed. Then he leaned down and kissed Jack again, and that was the beginning to a very exciting night.

.

.

.

A/N: couldn't resist the ending of course! So what did you guys think? Let me know, I'll try and have chapter thirty six up by tonight if you do!


	36. Tosh meets the family!

A/N: good news! Today Ianto and Jack have decided it's Tosh's turn to meet the family, and James is there too! So just a quick chapter to introduce Tosh to something very different, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Torchwood, but I don't.

.

.

.

Jack had to admit that night he was glad he surrendered and let Ianto win. What a night that was. He was still grinning about it nearly a week later and the fact that the rift had been so busy for the last week, it left Jack with something to look forward to. Since the week had been so hectic with things getting spit out here and there, they had both usually been so exhausted that they'd collapse on the bed down in Jack's bunker for a couple of hours of sleep before the rift alert would sound again, waking them up.

But today he was grinning for a different reason. Somehow the rift had gone completely silent for the day, even the weevils were being quiet, and it was the day of the Big Bay family festival in San Diego.

Of course now that he had figured out the doors, when a red door appeared in his office, he really wasn't all that surprised. Especially not when Tara came running through before hopping into his lap.

"Good morning Jack." she said hugging him around the neck with a grin.

"Good morning? It's already noon here!" he said with a smile.

"Well it's morning at home!" she said. "Now are you and Ianto comin' home or not?"

"Let me go get him and Tosh." he said.

Tara stood up and went back through the door as Jack went to go find Ianto, who was in the kitchen.

"Where's Tosh?" he asked.

"She is up in the boardroom, why?" Ianto asked.

"We should probably go get her."

Ianto smiled. "Let me guess, one of Uncle Malachai's doors?"

"Tara came running through and jumped right into my lap." he chuckled.

"Sounds like Tara. Anyway, I'll go get Tosh."

Jack watched as he ran upstairs to the boardroom. Then he walked back into the office and peeked through the door to see all of the kids, and even James waiting in the living room of the massive house.

"Are you guys coming?" Niles asked.

"Yeah, we've been waiting all week for you to come home!" said Katie.

"Tosh doesn't know yet." he said with a smile. "We decided to surprise her, so be quiet okay?"

The kids all giggled then nodded in understanding.

"Do I even want to know what you two are up to?" Tosh sighed as Ianto led her into the office, with her eyes closed.

"Probably not." Jack chuckled.

Ianto gently led her a couple of steps through the door with a smile. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Tosh did so and was automatically speechless as the kids all started saying hello.

Ianto and Jack chuckled as Tosh looked around then back at the office. Then back in the living room, and back into the office. But as she turned back to the living room, James hopped in front of her and gave her a full kiss on the lips, causing her to almost fall over in surprise.

"Well hello Gorgeous. Nice to have you join us." he said with a smile as he caught her to keep her from falling.

"James? Okay, I'm lost, what have you two done?" Tosh asked, looking at Jack and Ianto accusingly, but staying in James's arms.

"Uncle Malachai can make doors!" said Tara. "This is one of them!"

"Now, are you going to come say hello to our family or not?" James asked.

Tosh looked back at Ianto and Jack.

"It's either spend the day with us, or sit here alone in the hub." Ianto shrugged with a smile.

"We figured you could use a day off." said Jack with a grin. "Why else do you think I told Owen and Gwen to stay home?"

"So, wait, are you saying California is on the other side of this door?" she asked.

"You and I are standing in California." James confirmed. "Jack and Ianto are still standing in Cardiff. And you got here without needing a passport too."

"Now are you coming?" Jeremy asked.

"We've been waiting for a while now." said Tucker.

"And I need to go change because I'm not wandering around in a suit." Ianto added, looking at his watch.

"Come on Tosh, we're a friendly bunch. If not a bit out there." said James, gently pulling her towards the children.

Jack and Ianto smiled at each other, then followed them through the door, before the door closed behind them and disappeared.

"Welcome to our home Tosh." said Ianto with a smile.

"You left my jacket and my purse." Tosh protested.

Jack smiled and held up both which he had grabbed as Ianto went to go get her. He wasn't going to let her get away so easily, and he knew she was going to try and make up some excuse, so he had made sure to grab her belongings for her.

"Nice try Tosh." he said with a smile, handing her the two items.

"So…. I'm in California, and this is you family?" she asked Ianto and James slowly.

"These are our brothers and sisters Tosh." said Ianto.

Jack smiled as little Cody walked over and tugged on his pant leg.

"Up up Jack?" he asked, reaching towards him.

"Alright, up you go little buddy." he said picking him up with a smile.

"Cuddles!" Cody giggled, curling up against Jack's chest with a smile.

"This is the youngest in the family, Cody." Jack said, introducing him. "Can you say hi to Miss Tosh, Cody?"

"Hi hi Miss Tosh!" waving at her with a smile.

"Hello Cody."

"Come sit with us Miss Tosh." said Tara hopping up and gently tugging on her hand.

Jack watched with a smile as Tosh followed Tara and the rest of the children made room on the couch for her to sit, as Ianto ran upstairs to his bedroom. Then he went to join them all, sitting on the floor besides James, Cody in his lap.

"So, you're all brother's and sisters?" she asked.

"Yup!" said Tucker. "I'm Tucker."

"Hi Tucker."

"I'm Niles."

"And I'm Jeremy."

"Irish Twins?" Tosh asked in surprise.

The two nodded with smiles.

"I'm Cookie!" said Cookie with a smile.

"Cookie?"

"The explanation I got was that he's either as sweet or as flaky as a cookie depending on the situation." Jack said.

"I'm kinda flaky today." Cookie said grinning.

"Kinda? Personally I think you're always a little flaky Cookie." he said honestly.

"I am!" he agreed with a laugh.

Jack just rolled his eyes and shook his head at the strange boy.

"So who wants to introduce themselves to Miss Tosh next?" James asked with a smile.

Soon all of the kids were introducing themselves and Jack was happy to see Tosh smiling with every one of them.

But they were all surprised when they heard shouting and laughter from the upstairs landing, and suddenly Ianto came running down the stairs with a large smile on his face. Then another man came chasing after him, jumping forwards and tackling Ianto sending the two of them flying and tumbling to the floor. But then they jumped up and ran out of the house.

"What was that?" Jack asked astonished.

"That would be Tim." said another young man walking down stairs. "Hi, I'm Jim."

"Hi Jim." said Jack and Tosh together.

"We should probably go check on the roughhousing brothers." Jeremy said standing up.

"Might be a good idea." agreed Jack, standing up and setting Cody down on the floor.

So everyone got up and headed outside to find Ianto and Tim wrestling in the sand, running around the children's playground.

"Are we sure that's Ianto?" Tosh whispered.

"Are you kidding? Ianto's usually one of the first ones to initiate the playful tussles." said James with a smile.

Jack watched with amusement as he saw another side of Ianto that he rarely got to see. It reminded him a bit of the night that they had a playful wrestling match the week before, and now he understood where it had come from.

Ianto continuously knocked Tim to the ground and Tim would get up and tackle Ianto. Then the two would run around the jungle gyms till at one point Ianto climbed up on top of the monkey bars and dropped down on top of Tim, knocking him to the ground.

"Admit it Tim, you lost again!" Ianto said with a smile, as he sat on the man's chest, pinning his wrists to in the sand.

"No way!"

"Then you're not getting up!" he laughed.

"Then I guess we'll just sit here." Tim shot back.

"Admit you lost Tim!" said Jim who was standing beside Jack.

"That's too easy!" Tim protested.

"Then you're right, we'll just sit here." said Ianto, shifting to sit cross legged on Tim's chest.

"Oh no, what have the children gotten themselves into this time?" came a voice behind them.

Jack turned to see Sarah smiling at them.

"Hello Mrs. Midnightstar." he said with a smile.

"Hello Jack, dear." she said hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then she looked over at Ianto and Tim. "Tim, give up and admit you lost honey!"

"I'll do no such thing mom!" Tim shouted back.

"Are they normally like this?" Jack asked her with a smile.

"The two of them are true brothers, they love each other, but always wrestle." she said with a giggle.

"I've never seen Ianto act like this." said Tosh looking up at Jack.

"They say he's the most rambunctious one in the family." Jack told her.

"Oh he is." Sarah confirmed with a smile.

"I don't think they're gonna get up mommy." said Tara.

"I don't think so either." agreed James.

"Tim! Admit you lost so that we can all go back into the house!"

"Never!"

"Do I have to bring your father out here to make the call, because it's quite obvious to everyone else that you've lost!" she told him.

"Fine! Fine! Ianto won!" Tim finally relented, making Ianto laugh.

So the two of them got up before playfully shoving each other around.

"It's Ianto, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and roughhousing. I never thought a sight like that existed." Tosh said in awe, making Jack chuckle.

"He's a very different person here." said Jack with a smile. "Just watch him, he's so much more comfortable around his family, it's like he's at peace with everything around him." and Jack loved how happy Ianto was when he was with family. Of course, Jack loved Ianto no mater what he was like. But he loved seeing the cheerful, peaceful side of Ianto the most.

After Tosh was introduced to Sarah, she sent the children inside to go get ready to leave.

"So, we're really in California." Tosh said surprised as they stood on the porch.

"It takes some getting used to." Jack agreed with a smile. "Though that was officially my first time through a door." 'And it's way easier then travel by vortex manipulator.' he thought to himself.

"So then, what are we doing here?" she asked.

"Today is the Big Bay family festival." Ianto explained. "It's fleet week, and a lot of our family is military."

"And the little ones already told me that they wanted me to come during fleet week." Jack admitted, as he remembered the group of children telling him what they all wanted him to see.

"So we decided to invite you along for the day Tosh." said James with a smile.

"It's a lot warmer here." she said smiling a little. "I guess a day away from Torchwood in a warm sunny place isn't so bad."

"That's a great way of thinking Tosh." Jack chuckled. "I remember that one of the first things I missed when we got home was the weather." He jumped slightly when he felt something cold touch his hand. Jack looked down and smiled at the giant tigress at his side. "Hello Miss Sapphire." he said politely.

"Are you going to just say hello, or are you actually going to pet me?" she purred.

Jack laughed and reached down, gently scratching behind her ears.

"A talking tiger." said Tosh in awe.

"She's not the most unusual thing here. Trust me." said Jack.

"I will….. Keep that in mind." she said slowly. "So, we're spending the day here?"

"We're spending the day here." Jack confirmed.

"You'll get to meet Gareth today." said Ianto with a smile.

"Is he really identical to you?" Tosh asked.

"The first time I ever saw Gareth, I remember looking at him and going, 'Ianto? When did you join the navy, I thought you were in London.' Then he said his name was Gareth, and Alistair explained that he was Ianto's twin." James admitted.

"If they ever decided to wear the same clothes, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart, until you heard them speak." Jack agreed.

"Not true, he can do a perfect imitation of me." Ianto said with a smile. "So I guess it's more about which man we stand beside."

Jack laughed. "Well don't go switching around on me, got it?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. You don't need to accidentally end up with Gareth in the hub instead of me."

"What would he do if that happened?"

"We'll he'd probably freak out over the hand you have in a jar." Ianto pointed out.

"A hand in a jar?" James inquired.

"Long story." Jack sighed, not really wanting to go into detail about where the hand in the jar really came from.

"He stole the hand out of what was left of Torchwood one's archives when Torchwood three went through what was left." Ianto shrugged.

Jack starred at him. "How do you know where it came from?"

"How do I know? Because I catalogued it myself!" Ianto admitted.

"Oh, I forgot you ran the archives there." Jack sighed.

"Anyway, why don't we take Tosh to go meet some of the more interesting residents here?" Ianto inquired.

"Just don't let Lulu sneeze on you." James said, making everyone laugh.

And with that, Jack new Tosh was in for quite a day, and so was he. It was the start to another adventure, and if he were honest with himself, Jack would admit that even though it was just beginning, it was one that he would never forget.

.

.

.

A/N: so what happens next with Tosh getting into the family? Well, if you leave me a review, I'll write the next chapter and you'll find out tomorrow!


	37. a bit of drabble and Janto

A/N: okay, this chapter kinda ended up a little drabble with a nice Janto ending to it. Sorry if it's not as good as my usual chapters, but I tried!

Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood, I wouldn't be writing on here would I?

.

.

.

Ianto had been ecstatic to be with his family again, and he knew Jack felt the same, but this time they had Tosh with them. He had watched as she had gone from being cautious, to being full of wonder, and eventually, she became extremely happy.

Tosh and James had definitely taken quite a liking to each other. They flirted and bantered and walked arm in arm together along the harbor with the rest of the family, enjoying the sunny day.

"I do believe that James has made our dear little Toshiko happy." Jack whispered as he and Ianto walked hand in hand together.

Ianto smiled and nodded in agreement. "I do believe he has. I know they've been talking on the phone every day. Tosh usually calls him around lunch before he heads into work, and he calls her while he's on lunch before she goes to bed."

"They look cute together." Jack said honestly.

"They do look very cute together."

"Owen's going to be so jealous when James moves out there." Jack snickered slightly.

Ianto wanted to laugh. "Especially because the two have been talking about letting James stay with Tosh since she has a spare bedroom."

"Tosh and James as flat mates?" Jack muttered thoughtfully. "I think Tosh would be coming to work with a big grin on her face every day he was there."

This time Ianto chuckled softly. "James would make sure of that." he agreed. "Alistair said if Tosh decides to spend the night, he'll help her get home tomorrow. You think we can spare her for a day?"

"I do believe we could." Jack agreed.

Ianto smiled. He had been correct in thinking that James was just what Tosh had needed, and to top it off Tosh had pulled James out of his small bout of depression that he had fallen into after his last girlfriend had broken up with him with a 'dear john' letter while he was in Afghanistan.

"Okay, so, what are we doing exactly?" Tosh asked curiously.

"We're going to take a tour of a navy ship." said Ianto with a smile.

"The U.S.S. Makin Island is here this year." said James.

"Oh." said Tosh. Then she paused. "I have no idea what that is."

"Don't worry Tosh, I don't either." said Jack with a smile.

Ianto watched as they talked, but then he smiled when he saw Gareth and Alonso walk up, and Gareth was wearing the exact same clothes.

'I saw we scare Tosh a little Gareth.' he thought with a smile.

He heard his brother chuckle in his head. 'That's a little cruel isn't it?' Gareth thought back.

'Just a fun little scare.' Ianto protested.

So the two brothers devised a plan, and they waited till the group stopped and Tosh was busy talking to James.

Gareth suddenly walked up behind Tosh and when she turned around she bumped into him.

"Oh! Ianto, don't scare me like that!" she protested, talking to Gareth.

"I'm right here Tosh." Ianto said, gently grasping her shoulder from behind.

Tosh let out a sudden cry of shock making everyone laugh as she looked between Gareth and Ianto. "Ianto! There's two of you!"

"He's my twin Tosh." Ianto chuckled.

"Though we might as well be two of the same person sometimes." Gareth said with a laugh.

Tosh starred. "And he sounds like Jack!"

"Don't feel bad Tosh, it was a bit odd to me at first too." Jack pointed out.

"I think it was awkward for most of us." said Alistair walking up to them.

Tosh looked up and gawked at him. "Good Lord you're tall."

"Tosh this is my oldest brother Alistair." Ianto said, introducing her. "But don't worry, you get used to him."

"Yeah, it's his son Alan you've got to watch out for." Jack chimed in. He let out a sudden cry of shock when someone pounced on his back.

"Hey! Don't be rude about me! Just because I'm a suicidal maniac, that scares the entire FBI building with my diabolical laughter, that doesn't mean you've got to watch out for me!" Alan said, pouting playfully.

Ianto jumped up and smack Alan on the back of the head.

"Ouchies!"

"You're an idiot sometimes you know that!" Ianto protested. He paused though when he saw the bandage wrapped around Alan's neck. "What'd you do this time?"

"I got a dart to the neck." he said with a chuckle.

"Playing darts with Luis in the bar while they were both drunk." Alayna protested, standing beside him.

"You're a piece of work you know that Alan?" Ianto sighed, shaking his head. "A dart to the neck. Wow, EPIC FAIL! You looser!"

"Yes! But I'm an entertaining looser!" Alan proclaimed.

Tosh tugged on Ianto's sleeve. "Are you really related to him?" she asked softly.

"Not biologically thank God." Ianto admitted.

"And personally I like to pretend that I'm not." Alistair admitted. "I don't know where you got the evil laugh Alan. I don't have an evil laugh and I take dark souls."

Tosh looked up at Ianto inquisitively and he just shook his head with a smile.

"Don't worry about it. This family is so far beyond average that we make Torchwood look normal." he told her with a smile.

"No wonder Jack found a place to fit in." Tosh giggled.

"So what's up short stack?" Alan asked, roughing up Ianto's hair.

"Don't call me short stack!" Ianto snapped. He always hated that name. He was always fine when Tim called him 'Yan' but 'short stack' was way too far out of line.

"What? You don't like that name?" Alan asked playfully.

"You remember the fight we got into last time you called me that?" Ianto asked.

"Oh come on, the name's not that bad!"

Ianto just began rattling off in Welsh making Gareth double over in laughter and Alistair chuckle while everyone else starred.

"What did you say?" Alan asked, obviously confused.

"He said you're nothing more then a then a giraffe with half a brain!" Gareth laughed.

"Well that's mean!" Alan protested.

"Then don't call me short stack. You know that bugs me." Ianto shot back. "Or then I'll really get angry."

"If you really wanted to Ianto, you could just call him daikaiju." Tosh said.

"What's that mean?" Ianto asked, perplexed.

"It's means giant monster. Like… say, godzilla." Tosh giggled.

Ianto smiled as Alan let out an annoyed huff.

"I'd prefer to be called none of the above." he muttered.

"So then, no name calling, deal?"

"Deal." Alan sighed.

"Did you really call him a giraffe with half a brain?" Jack whispered in Ianto's ear.

"Yes, yes I did." he admitted with a smile. He knew Jack was going to be quite surprised about his new attitude. He had behaved last time around family because of Alistair's wedding, this time, he was around his favorite brothers, his most annoying nephew, and he was going to just let loose and act like his old self.

And that meant regaining his title as the loudest, most outgoing, out there, rowdy and rambunctious sibling of the family. A side of himself he never showed in Cardiff, but a side he knew would make Jack start pining over him the moment they got home.

But for now, he focused on the favorite nephew who was now jumping up and down excitedly for Tosh's attention.

"Hi Miss Tosh!" said Kit hugging the small Japanese woman tightly. "You came to visit!"

Tosh laughed and hugged him tightly. "I came to visit."

"Thanks for the watch Miss Tosh. I really like it, I wear it every day see?" Kit told her, holding up his wrist with the watch on.

Ianto smiled. Between Kit and James, he could feel Tosh's emotions settle into extreme content and happiness and nothing else. It was perfect in his opinion, and he knew nothing was going to spoil the mood.

.

The day had been extremely content and full of laughter. Ianto found himself holding Jack's hand most of the day, ignoring the occasional disapproving glance from people outside of the family, but he didn't care. He was surrounded by family, Jack, and Tosh, and everyone was happy making him happy too.

Ianto and Jack had stayed for dinner before Alistair helped them back home.

But Tosh stayed with James.

Jack had decided she needed time away from Cardiff just as he had, and so Alistair had taken her home to her flat to retrieve some clothes, and she was going to stay with James until later that week.

"So…. How are we going to explain to Gwen and Owen where Tosh is?" Ianto asked with a smile as they walked into his flat after driving home from the hub.

"We'll just tell them the truth, that she's in the states with James for the week." Jack said with a smile.

Ianto chuckled. "I'm not sure I really want to feel the jealousy that's going to be radiating off of Owen when we tell him tomorrow morning."

"Hey, he kinda deserves it for being an ass to Tosh. Don't get me wrong, Owen is my friend, but…. It's kinda nice to see our dear little Toshiko get some payback."

"I have to agree." Ianto said with a smile and a nod as he sat down on the bed and slipped off his shoes. He laughed though when he felt Jack's emotions come through full blast, affection, adoration, and quite bit of lust. "I knew acting as outgoing as I did today, I'd get you all worked up."

"You did that on purpose!" Jack protested.

Ianto laughed again. "I did!" he admitted.

"You're cruel when you're happy."

"Not cruel. I just enjoy teasing you mercilessly." Ianto said, giving Jack the smile he knew would drive the older man up the walls. He stood up and walked over then he gently tugged on Jack's braces, leaning in till their noses were almost touching. "You're drooling Jack."

Jack gulped and closed his eyes, obviously trying to tamp down his reaction.

"Oh no you don't!" Ianto pulled him down by his braces and pushed their lips together in a deep, fevered kiss. Then walked backwards towards the bed before flipping them around and lunging forward so that Jack fell backwards with Ianto on top of him.

"I love it when you take control." Jack said excitedly between kisses.

"Like I said all those months ago. I may be a nerd, but I'm certainly not innocent." Ianto said breathlessly with a smile.

Jack just laughed, and with that, Ianto starting kissing him again while they made quick work of each other's clothes.

Deep down Ianto couldn't help but feel extremely happy with the way he was changing. He promised he would never blend into the shadows and wallow in his self pity ever again, that he was going to enjoy life as each day passed.

He decided if he was going to die young, at least he had officially climbed out of his shell, and had fallen madly in love, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

.

.

.

A/N: like I said, the whole thing ended up a bit more like a drabble, but I did like writing the Janto ending. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought! Next chapter... well I'm thinking we'll get somewhere around the episode 'out of time'. So we're getting closer to... dun dun dun... end of days! whoo... let's see how that goes over shall we? Anyway, thanks to my faithful reviewers! You guys keep me writing!


	38. a little shorty

A/N: okay, this chapter is a little more like a summary leading up to end of days, I hope you guys don't mind, but I really have some big plans for while Jack is gone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, so what else is new?

.

.

.

As the days continue to pass Jack found that reality seemed to have stayed much the same, but with subtle differences. Mostly in Ianto and Toshiko.

Tosh was extremely happy now with James in her life.

Even a couple of weeks later, Jack was laughing at the look on Owen's face when they he and Ianto had told Owen and Gwen where Tosh was. Owen was so jealous that he had stuck to the autopsy bay all day, huffing and puffing, leaving Gwen very confused. He had actually refused Ianto's coffee, going out and getting his own instead.

"Well, I'd say that operation 'make Owen jealous' was a complete success." Jack had said with a smile.

"Just wait, it's not over yet." Ianto replied.

And it hadn't been, because about two weeks later, James had moved into Tosh's spare bedroom, and Owen suddenly stopped talking to Tosh, then he resumed flirting with Gwen obviously trying to make Tosh jealous.

But Tosh was having none of it. She just shrugged and ignored him with a smile saying, "If he wants to try and play a childish game, then let him. I'm just happy with a guy that loves me and listens when I decide to rant about work."

As for the changes in Ianto, well, Jack loved it. While he was still a little bit quiet at work, he was always chatting happily with Tosh, and he was extremely open and outgoing with Jack.

Ever since the day at San Diego harbor, Jack's first baseball game, and his first air show, Ianto had changed. He was no longer just a quiet guy in a suit. He was someone completely different outside of Torchwood. He was always smiling and laughing, and ignoring those around him that would obviously find their relationship distasteful.

They had even gone out on a memorable double date with Tosh and James one night, and Jack had received proof that Ianto had officially let go of his inhibitions when at the end of their date, Ianto had kissed Jack full on the lips making Tosh and James giggle. They even ran into an old friend of his from university as they walked in the city center.

"I didn't think you were gay Ianto." the man had said.

"I didn't either." Ianto had replied with a shrug. He had then smiled at Jack and said "Jack's just special I suppose."

That night, when they had gotten home, Jack had immediately pounced on Ianto with the intent to show him, just how proud he was of Ianto officially letting go and enjoying his life.

In the end, Jack had decided that he was right, loving Ianto, for however long his life may be, was well worth the heartache he would suffer in the end.

So life had officially gone back to normal.

Of course, then Suzie Costello came back to life, what a disaster that was. Gwen got herself kidnapped, why was she always the one getting herself into the worst trouble while everyone else stayed out of it? But the night with Ianto had his stopwatch, well that was quite memorable for many reasons. Then there was the kid with the dogon sixth eye that got himself run over and his ghost followed Gwen around the entire time till he finally saved her from a car and disappeared.

When the sky gypsy came through, well, that was a difficult one that eventually turned into a nightmare.

Owen had fallen head over heels for Diane who decided she didn't want to stay and managed to make her way back through the rift. John had stolen Ianto's car keys and had gone home to commit suicide where all Jack could do was sit there and die with him.

When he had gotten home, Ianto had been so worried about him that it almost hurt Jack to know her put that look of worry on the young man's face. After that, Ianto had gently bathed Jack and held him tight for the rest of the night trying to sooth his tears away.

Then there was the problem with the weevils. There had been a weevil sighting while Ianto had been staying at the hub with Jack, and Jack had hoped to solve the problem himself to return to Ianto, of course, that didn't happen, he had to drag Gwen into it which caused and argument between her and Rhys, and when they found out someone was kidnapping the weevils then he had to bring everyone else in.

Tosh had arrived immediately, Jack saw that Ianto was now wearing one of his dark blue shirts under his suit which made it very hard to concentrate, and Owen was off somewhere wallowing away with his self destructive tendencies. At least that had finally been solved after Owen had been stupid enough to get into a cage with a weevil. To top that case off, Gwen had stolen some retcon so she could tell Rhys the truth about her affair then make him forget that she told the truth. The weevil case had been highly annoying.

After another decent, normal week, Jack and Tosh had suddenly found themselves stuck in 1941, where they had met the real Jack Harkness.

That had made Jack feel terrible, knowing that the man was going to die and he was going to steal a hero's name. But he did what he could to comfort the man, even dancing with him.

But when the real Jack Harkness had asked if he had anyone special in life, Jack almost said no, but then he smiled and said, "I do, he's a wonderful young man named Ianto Jones that keeps me grounded and makes me feel loved, and I love him to no end."

At that, Captain Harkness had smiled and told Jack "Don't ever let the kid go then. He sounds very special."

"I don't ever plan on it." Jack had admitted. 'Even if I have to wait for another sixty years to return to him, I will always return to him.' he added in his head.

After a brief power struggle between Owen and Ianto, they had opened the rift and managed to bring Jack and Tosh back to the present.

Of course when Jack had reviewed the CCTV footage he had seen something in Ianto that he had never seen before, a dark, serious side that actually reminded Jack of how he had once been, and it had scared him. But when Owen had called Ianto nothing more then Jack's part time shag, well, Jack decided he might have done the same.

This spurred Jack on to write instructions for when he left with the Doctor. He had placed them in his desk, instructing the team to put Ianto in his place until Jack returned. He had also told Tosh about his plan and Tosh had agreed that Ianto was the best choice, not one Owen and Gwen would be happy with, but the best choice none the less considering he had some sort of experience by taking care of the Midnightstar household while Quentin would leave on deployment.

Jack would continuously hint to Ianto that should he leave, he wanted Ianto to run the place, but Ianto would just stare into space before changing the subject.

But then something else had to go and throw a wrench into his plans, suddenly everyone but Jack and Ianto wanted to open the rift, the world had begun to fall apart and timelines were crossing as the rift split and cracked.

Ianto had said something about the Demon Abbadon, but Jack dismissed it as superstitious non-sense. Then Ianto had suddenly fallen ill. He had been hiding a nasty headache that had eventually caused him to black out on the sofa. Rhys had been killed to top it off, and the other three declared mutiny, and killed Jack, opened the rift, and that was when the world went to ruins.

.

.

.

A/N: We'll see a little more of James while Jack is gone now that he's in Cardiff. In all honesty, I was amazed you guys love him so much! I appreciate that! Anyway, I think we can all figure out what the main end to the next chapter will be, but I think you'll like the differences for the time being!


	39. Jack leaves, but it's better, promise

A/N: and now... Jack is dead... but I decided Gwen didn't need to sit with Jack the whole time. Someone else is there for him of course! I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Jack and Ianto unfortunately.

.

.

.

Jack was dead. He was dead and Ianto was terrified that he wasn't going to wake up.

Ianto sat beside Jack's lifeless body, sitting on the slab, ready to be pushed into the drawer, but Ianto didn't have the heart to do it.

"Jack can't die!" he kept arguing with himself. "He can't! He was supposed to outlive me by hundreds of years! I was supposed to die first!"

The other's seemed to take pity on him, leaving him to his depression as he sat beside the cold, pale grey corpse beside him.

When Alistair had once joked about the demon Abbadon getting free, Ianto thought it had been just that, a joke. But when he had gone to call his brother about what was happening, the demon in his head broke loose and hissed and screamed and clawed at his mind until he finally passed out from the excruciating pain. The fact that he had been passed out on the couch was the only way the others could've gotten his retina scan, because even when he saw Lisa telling him to open the rift, he knew he would do no such thing, pledging his loyalty to the man he loved.

Tosh had told Ianto about the meeting with the real Jack Harkness, and when she had told him what Jack had said to the man about having someone special, Ianto had to fight back the tears, knowing Jack really did love him.

But now Jack was dead, and it appeared he wasn't coming back.

"Don't worry Ianto, he'll come back."

Ianto's head shot up at the familiar voice. He was surprised to see Alistair standing on the other side of the table. But he looked very different. Instead of his normal clothes he had a large set of black, red, and blue robes with a giant pair of black wings stretched out behind him.

"When you said you'd call if something like this ever happened, I thought you meant it." Alistair said, obviously attempting a joke.

"I couldn't…. I….. it… it made me pass out." Ianto shrugged.

"The rift gave him that surge of power that he needed to break free." Alistair said softly.

"Is Jack really going to live?" he blurted out.

Alistair chuckled softly and nodded. "He can't die. You know that Ianto." he pointed out kindly.

"But…. He's been dead for three days!"

"Give him time. Abbadon took everything from him. It's a lot harder to come back from something like that."

"Is that monster really gone?"

"He's gone. Jack destroyed him. Which, remind me to thank him for that, I was tired of Abbadon slamming around in the castle basement. Stupid Bilis. Now then, come on Jack, time to wake up." Alistair said, gently tapping Jack's forehead with his pointer finger.

Ianto watched as Jack suddenly took a in a quiet, but deep breath.

Jack opened his eyes and smiled. "Hi there stranger." he said to Ianto.

Ianto wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "Hi yourself." he said, leaning over and giving Jack a soft, gentle kiss.

"Next time, remind me to listen to your superstitious nonsense." Jack said, making Ianto chuckle in relief.

"He has a demon king for a brother, you better listen to him about that stuff." Alistair said.

"Hello Alistair."

"Hello Jack. Thank you for getting that monster out of my castle's basement. He was really driving me mad. If I ever had to go retrieve something, you'd hear his howls through the entire castle. It was really quite annoying."

Jack looked at Ianto in curiosity, but Ianto just shrugged with a smile.

"Come on Jack, let's go get you some nice warm clothes." Ianto said.

"That would be wonderful. I'm freezing!" Jack admitted, his teeth chattering.

Ianto laughed a little, then helped Jack off the table and down to his bunker to get him some nice warm clothes.

But as he buttoned up Jack's shirt, he was surprised when Jack suddenly pulled him into a hug and crushed their lips together in a kiss.

"Thank you Ianto." Jack whispered. "I could hear you talking to me. The whole time. I wanted to wake up, I tried to wake up, but I just didn't have the strength to pull myself back yet."

"I didn't betray you, you know that, right Jack?" Ianto asked, resting his head on Jack's chest.

"I know that. I know you never would."

"Especially not after Tosh told me what you said to the real Jack Harkness." Ianto said with a tiny smile. Then he leaned up and kissed Jack back. "But for now, I think there are three people you need to talk to."

"Agreed." Jack said with a nod.

So Ianto helped him back upstairs, holding his hand and letting Jack lean on him for support.

Tosh and Gwen were ecstatic when they saw him, both of them hugging him immediately as for Owen the second Jack said that he forgave the man, Owen broke down in tears, letting Jack pull him into a tight hug and comfort him.

Everyone tried to give their explanations of why they had betrayed Jack, but Ianto really didn't want to go into detail about why he suddenly passed out, leaving that for another day.

When they had realized that there was no more coffee machine, Tosh, Owen and Gwen had gone out to get coffee while Ianto sat with Jack in his office, Jack wrapped in his coat, trying to stay warm.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ianto asked, gently massaging Jack's shoulders.

"Tired, but okay." Jack sighed. "Are you alright? That must've been some headache for you to pass out on me like that. You fell down a couple of stairs. I was terrified that you may have been hurt!"

"It's a long story Jack." Ianto whispered. He then sighed and leaned down to kiss Jack on the cheek.

Both men suddenly froze when they saw that the hand in the jar was suddenly reacting to something. It was then that they both heard a loud grinding sound fill the hub.

"The doctor!" Jack said jumping up.

Ianto knew what it meant. Jack had been waiting for the doctor for over a hundred years, waiting for the man he hoped could fix him. It meant Jack was going to leave.

"You better come back, you hear me Jack?" Ianto said softly, scared that Jack wasn't going to.

Jack suddenly pulled him close and gave him a hard kiss on the lips. "I just need some answers, then I promise I will come back. I swear I'll come back! I've got you, I have to come back!"

"You better!" Ianto protested, kissing him again. "Now go while it's you're chance, before I change my mind!"

"Take care of Torchwood while I'm gone Ianto!" Jack said, then he left, taking the hand with him.

Ianto sat down on the floor and let out a heavy sigh. Jack wasn't going to come back, why would he? He was with the doctor again.

He didn't even flinch when a sudden gust blew everything around the hub, making a mess. He just sat on the edge of the catwalk beside the tower, his feet dangling off the edge as the other three returned.

"What happened in here?" Tosh gasped. "Why is the place such a mess?"

"And where's Jack?" Gwen asked.

"He…. Left. He left with the doctor." Ianto muttered. It was then that he realized why Jack had been hinting about Ianto taking over. It was going to be a very long day indeed.

.

.

.

A/N:I hope you guys liked the changes! Let me know if you did! Cause you guys are always so awesome!


	40. Ianto snoops and Jack's with the doctor

A/N: I'm just kinda working in short chapters at the moment, but shorter chapters means a couple at a time at least right? Anyway, Jack is gone, so what happens next? Well... Jack's time away is about to get interesting for everyone.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Torchwood...

.

.

.

"Well that's just great!" Owen snapped. "Jack fuckin' Harkness wakes up after three days then just up and disappears! What a wanker!"

"Now what do we do?" Gwen asked.

"That's up to Ianto." said Tosh, gently patting Ianto's shoulder.

"Why would that be up to the tea boy?" Owen snarked with a scoff. "Technically speaking I should be next!"

"Actually, Jack left written instructions." said Tosh.

Ianto really heard nothing of the conversation as he sat staring at his feet.

Jack was gone. He was with the doctor. He promised he'd come back but….. Ianto felt he'd forget about him in no time.

Suddenly Ianto was brought out of his reverie when he heard Owen shout, "What the fuck? Tea boy's in charge? He doesn't even have experience in running something!"

At that Ianto decided he was done. He was done hiding from Owen and Gwen. He stood up and glared at Owen.

"I'll have you know that I know Torchwood inside and out including how to run it Owen!" He snapped. "I'm far more capable of running things then you'd be inclined to believe! I wasn't head of Torchwood one's archives at twenty two for nothing. Now then, I didn't ask for Jack to leave me in charge, but he did and I don't appreciate you being an arse about it!"

Owen and Gwen starred, flabbergasted at Ianto's sudden outburst and Tosh just smiled proudly.

"Now then, Jack has already admitted that the rift is going to be far more volatile now, we can't sit and argue, we need to be a team. We'll each play our strengths and work together. We should keep Jack's disappearance a secret from the government and UNIT for now, we don't need them trying to take over while Jack's gone. We will get through this, and Jack will come back." he said, trying to sound reassuring. But while the team seemed satisfied with Jack returning, Ianto had trouble believing it himself.

Owen and Gwen grumbled, but Ianto decided it would be best for everyone to just go home for the night, and they would figure things out in the morning.

Ianto had to admit, the hub seemed so empty without Jack in it. He had no idea how Jack had stood being there alone every night since the place had been built.

After a few minutes of contemplation Ianto went over to Jack's office, he was about to sit at a chair in front of Jack's desk, but then he took the seat behind it, leaning forward and resting his head on the ink blotter.

"Please don't be gone forever Jack." Ianto whispered sadly. Suddenly he felt an impending darkness begin to spread through him. Darkness and fear that he hadn't felt in a long time. It was coming back without Jack around to keep it at bay and Ianto was ready to cry. After a few moments of silence Ianto sat up and felt an odd itch to just search through the desk drawers. He opened the middle one and found it full of office supplies like pens, pencils, paper clips, staples and the like. The top drawer to the side was practically empty, so Ianto decided to use it for some of the files. Then he opened the bottom one which was full of random things including a small yellow tin and a manila envelope.

Ianto starred at the tin for a moment. He knew he shouldn't snoop, but he couldn't help it. He reached down and picked up the envelope and the tin. He opened the envelope and found it full of pictures from Jack's family adventure.

He smiled at the picture of Lilly and Dawn clinging to Jack's legs with grins. There was another of Jack talking to Alonso and one as he sat at a table while the children gathered around him to hear a story. Ianto found the family photo and several of the wedding party.

After looking at the pictures he placed them back in the envelope and turned to the tin. When he opened it, he was surprised to find all sorts of old pictures of Jack through the years. Ianto couldn't help but chuckle softly at all of them. But then he found one that was in a folded piece of brown paper. He opened the fold and starred at the picture.

It was a picture of Jack in a tuxedo, and a beautiful woman beside him in a wedding gown. It was Jack's wedding photo from the turn of the century. What really astonished Ianto though was the picture taped to the other side of the paper. It was the photograph taken of just Jack and Ianto, in their tuxes with the harbor behind them.

Ianto had to admit, they looked just like they had in their refection at the formal shop. But he couldn't help but feel an inkling of hope that maybe Jack would return. The fact that Jack had thought the photograph was important enough that he placed it with his wedding photo let Ianto know that the relationship they had was apparently very special to Jack.

"Maybe he really will come home eventually." Ianto whispered. He was about to put the pictures away when he saw a piece of paper in the bottom of the tin. Curiosity getting the better of him, he picked it up and opened it, astonished to find it was in Alistair's handwriting. Ianto read it and smiled, a few tears escaping his eyes.

Next to the five rules Jack had written little notes that, in all honesty, seemed a little childish, but wonderful none the less.

"Use your mind to do great things, (I like to think that I've tried! Does hiring Ianto count as a great thing?)

Use your heart to do things even greater. (Like…. Love Ianto!)

Find peace (I have found peace. I'm especially at peace when Ianto cuddles with me!)

Be happy. (I've got Ianto! That's all I need to be happy because he always makes me happy!)

And know that you are always loved. (Of course I know that! Ianto loves me! He said so! That's why he calls me Cariad!)"

Ianto couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Yes Jack, I love you, and I meant it, now come home soon Cariad, I already miss you." After another moment of looking at Jack's little notes, he put everything away and decided that he needed to leave the hub. So he left and took a walk, trying to loose himself in the chill of the evening.

The next few days Ianto had found himself taking over the team, and Owen and Gwen seemed to finally accept him when he had given them the jobs they wanted, like leaving Owen in charge of field operations, and letting Gwen deal with the police. Tosh herself was very content with taking over all technical aspects. Ianto…. Well…. Ianto basically did everything else. So he know had double the work between his own and Jack's.

But he tried to cope. He had gone and splurged a bit on a nice leather bound journal and a fancy pen so he could write down detailed descriptions of everyday events. Life had fallen into a routine for everyone.

Ianto would usually spend every other night at the hub to help monitor the rift, he usually went out and had lunch with Tosh and James at least once a week, since the two would do everything the could to cheer him up. But no matter what he found himself thinking of Jack, waiting for him to return, however long that took.

.

On the other end of time and space where the universe was about to end, Jack had finally found himself with the doctor again, but this time, the doctor was telling him that he was wrong. That he should never had existed.

"Do you want to die Jack?" the doctor asked him, while Jack stood in the room filled with stet radiation.

"I thought I did," he admitted. "But not really. Not anymore." 'I've got Ianto to return to. I need to live, for him.'

But when the doctor had made a remark about Jack's own self being the only man he could ever be with Jack had smiled. "Not true!" he said.

"Oh really?" the doctor asked with a cheeky grin.

"I met this wonderful young man named Ianto Jones back home in Cardiff. I've gotta admit, being with him has done wonders for me."

The Doctor chuckled. "Has it now?"

"You notice I really don't flirt anymore." Jack pointed out.

"I did notice that you really were only trying to say hello. I've never known you to be like that."

"Why do I need to flirt? I've got Ianto to go home to!"

"The boy must have the patience of a saint to put up with you."

"Ohh, this new regeneration of yours, it's kinda cheeky." Jack shot back with a grin.

The Doctor laughed at him. "Yup, I suppose I am. So tell me about this Ianto kid."

"Why?"

"I want to know what sort of man he is, to be able to deal with you."

Jack smiled as he remembered spending time with Ianto. "He…. Surprises me. He's always surprising me. I didn't think that was possible. He makes the most amazing coffee, and he seems to understand me. He doesn't care that I can't die. He just….. He said I make him happy. So, I promised myself I'd do everything I could to make him happy till he dies since I know I'll outlive him."

"Yet you came with me?"

Jack sighed. "In all honesty Doc, the reason I came with you, was because I was hoping you could fix me. So I could have a normal life. So I could grow old with Ianto and live a normal life."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "If I could fix you Jack, I would." he said. "But I can't. I don't have that power. I wish you could have a normal life with this kid, since you're right, he seems to have done wonders for you. But there's nothing I can do."

Jack let out a heavy sigh. "Then I guess I'll do my best to love him till the day he dies… and long after."

"I'm sorry Jack." the doctor said, actual sincerity in his voice.

"Know what's funny though? I met people in his family that can't die! Just like me! Well….. I die and come back, they just…. Can't die. He's got a six hundred year old Uncle though!"

At that the doctor gave him a curious look. "Really now? You'll have to tell me about them sometime."

"I'd love to. But for now, I've got to get out of here! It's way too hot!" he said as the last weight dropped.

The doctor just laughed and stepped aside so Jack could get out of the room.

Deep inside Jack felt hurt that the Doctor couldn't fix him. He wanted to live a normal life. But it appeared that it would never happen. Now he just hoped the Tardis would agree to take him home, so he could return to the man he left behind.

.

.

.

A/N: awww... Jack still can't be fixed darn it, but you gotta love the notes in the rules right? I couldn't resist making Ianto a little bit of a snooper. Anyway, let me know if you liked it! NExt chapter will probably be up in a little while since I've got nothing better to do! Thanks guys!


	41. the doctor realizes Jack's in love

A/N: Jack's on the run with the Doctor and Martha, but it's a bit different now. I told you guys I'd try and get another chapter up. And I might get another one up tonight, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I, of course, don't own Torchwood, or the Doctor for that matter.

.

.

.

Jack could hardly believe he was on the run now. Finding out the Prime Minister Saxon was really the Master well…. Now he knew exactly why Ianto didn't like dealing with the prime minister. The man probably reeked havoc on Ianto's mind with his twisted glee.

Jack was in his own time now, stuck, wanting to go home, but unable to return.

The Doctor certainly hadn't been happy when he found out Jack was Torchwood, but Jack couldn't help it. He had rebuilt it to help aliens rather then harm then unless they truly were a serious threat. But he couldn't blame the doctor for having doubts, not after Torchwood one had caused the battle of Canary wharf.

"So, tell me about your boyfriend again Jack." the doctor said with a smile as they sat eating chips.

Jack was surprised that the doctor wanted to know so much now. He had actually been enjoying stories of Gallifrey as the doctor told them.

"And the kid's family, I want to know about them all. Have you met them?"

Jack laughed a little. "I've met half. I have yet to meet the cousins though." he admitted.

"You have a boyfriend? What's he look like?" Martha asked with a smile.

Just to see her reaction, Jack pulled out his phone and showed her the picture of Ianto and Gareth standing side by side in identical clothes with identical smiles.

"What'd you do? Copy and paste? There's two of him." Martha said.

"No, that's Ianto and his twin brother. Ianto was the one on the right." Jack chuckled.

"So, this kid really loves you huh? I'd like to see that." the Doctor said with a smile.

"Fine then. Hold on." Jack stood up and reached into his wallet pulling out the wallet sized copy of his favorite photograph with him and Ianto in their tuxes. He handed it to the doctor.

"You're married?" the Doctor asked.

"No, we were at his brother's wedding. He was the best man, I was a groomsman."

"Let me see!" said Martha jumping up and hopping behind the doctor. She looked down at the picture and smiled. "Awww…. You guys look so happy together!"

"You do!" the Doctor actually agreed. "I am impressed Jack. Is he an average human?"

"Define average." said Jack with a smile as he took back the picture.

"What? Does he have alien in him?" Martha asked.

"No, he's a Midnightstar."

At that the Doctor surprised them both when he suddenly choked on a chip. "He's a Midnightstar?"

"You know about the Midnightstars?" Jack inquired with a raised brow.

"Yeah. One of the oldest surrogates, Alistair, he's my record keeper." the doctor said. "He keeps track of me to make sure I don't destroy the universe. Angels and demons have watched over us Time Lords since we were created. Alistair is my keeper now. It used to be some big scary fella with gnarly claws and green skin, with nasty fangs and red eyes. Then Alistair took his place. I like Alistair much better. He just looks like a giant human."

Jack could hardly believe his ears. Ianto's brother kept tabs on the doctor and this whole time he never knew.

"Did Ianto know?" he asked slowly.

"I doubt it. The last time I had an evaluation was about eight years ago. Just after the Great Time War."

"What's an evaluation for?" Martha asked.

"Well every decade or so, I have to have an evaluation. Alistair would travel with me for about a week, review my past travels and then he decides if I'm safe to keep running around the universe. I guess I do more good then bad because I'm still alive. If he decided that I got too dangerous like the Master obviously has, I would have been executed long ago."

"So, does Alistair take care of the Master?" Jack asked.

"Nah, that was some angel named Obadiah. Of course, thinking back, from what I heard Obadiah Morningsky was just as corrupt as any human politician, and considering that the Master was obviously missing for years being a human, the man must've just given up."

"Well, that's nice to know." Jack mumbled.

"So, Ianto has a six hundred year old Uncle and the Master of Dark souls for a brother. That sounds like quite a family."

"You should meet Niles. He's a ten year old chemistry genius, but his personality is kinda eccentric, like yours."

The Doctor laughed and tipped his chair back with a smile. "I'd like to meet the kid!" he said gleefully.

"And he has a komodo dragon named Larry that has no claws and can't produce venom. The family's a trip, I'm tellin' ya. A real trip."

"So, that means Ianto is related to the Midnights yeah?"

"Yeah. But I've never met them. They live in Virginia, I've only been to California."

"You know, I do recall Alistair telling me about an interesting little brother named Ianto. He was the first of the Midnightstars right?"

"He was."

"I wonder if he ever expected to join that family."

"Hold on, who are the Midnights and the Midnightstars?" Martha asked. "And why are they so special?"

"Well Conner Midnight has been taking in abused children since the 1880s. All of his kids are still alive too. As for the Midnightstars they were more recent right?"

"Ianto said he was adopted just before he turned fifteen, so about nine and a half years." Jack agreed. "But they don't just take in abused children. They take in abnormal children. Geniuses and the like. Or they take in surrogates that just need a family, like me and our friend Toshiko. Lots of the kids have attempted suicide and just needed someone to love them, so, now they're a big happy family."

"They've attempted suicide and now they're happy?" Martha asked astonished.

"Mr. and Mrs. Midnightstar work hard to make them happy. Only in that family can you find someone to relate to on about everything. Like Kit and Suzaku, my surrogate nephew and his cousin, both were kidnapped and used for medical experiments. Or Me, and Alistair's son Alan. He's one of the few people that can rival me in how many bullets we've taken to the head. Although last time I saw him, I guess it was a dart to the windpipe since he and his friend were playing while drunk."

"That just sounds very….. Disturbing." the doctor sighed. "I don't think I've met Alan. I've met Roderick. He's an interesting boy. A sorcerer who defines magic with math because his logical brain can't comprehend magic alone."

"Exactly. Although, I will be honest, seeing Alan that time was the first time I've ever heard Ianto use the term 'epic fail' and it was really quite fitting."

"So, how'd you meet?" Martha asked,

"We met when we caught a pterodactyl together after it had fallen through the rift."

"A pterodactyl hunt?" Martha said with a raised brow, obviously not believing him.

But the Doctor laughed. "A pterodactyl hunt? Did you catch it?"

"We did, her name is Myfanwy and she has a nice comfortable nest up in the top of the hub." said Jack with a smile. "Ianto adores her. Always sitting there and petting her, and spoiling her with dark chocolate which seems to be her favorite."

"A pterodactyl that loves dark chocolate? That's just weird." Martha said.

"You're talking to the immortal man that had my severed hand in a jar, and he works for Torchwood." the doctor pointed out.

"Actually, I rescued your hand from the ruins of Torchwood one." Jack admitted.

"Still, you had my hand in a jar."

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "Yes Doctor, I had your hand in a jar. In all honesty, I've forgotten what was in the other jar that it sat next to."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes at him making him chuckle more.

But then he frowned. He'd hardly been gone for a day and he was desperately missing Ianto. It was like a piece of him was missing, and the way the doctor rolled his eyes at him, reminded Jack of how Ianto would do the same.

"You alright Jack?" Martha asked.

"As cliché as it sounds… I really miss Ianto." he sighed.

"Wow, you really are in love aren't you?" the Doctor asked, somewhat astonished.

"You should've seen it the when Ianto had left for a couple of days. I felt so befuddled without him, I spun around and walked into the wall. I got lost in the place I've called home for nearly a hundred years!"

"Yup that's definitely love, not just fancying someone." said Martha.

"If you miss him this much when you're apart, what are you going to do when he dies Jack? As you know Torchwood employees don't exactly have a great record of making it into their mid thirties, let alone living to old age." the Doctor pointed out.

"I don't know what I'll do then." Jack shrugged. "I guess I'll just feel lost forever."

"I really, truly, never thought you capable of love that strong." The Doctor said honestly. "But I see now that I was wrong. I really do wish I could fix you Jack. Give you a normal life with the kid, but it's beyond my control."

Jack shook his head with a sigh. "I know Doctor. I just hope we can get this done and over with quickly so I can go home." He wanted to be with Ianto, to make sure he could stay with the young man and protect him for as long as possible. He looked out the window and began wondering what Ianto and the team were up to at that moment. He just hoped Ianto would forgive him for leaving now that he knew he couldn't be fixed.

But he didn't realize just how long he'd have to wait to find out.

.

.

.

A/N: so, did anyone see the relation between the Doctor and Alistair coming? I thought I'd just throw it in there. Anyway, another chapter. I'm so bored today, a third might be up soon. So I hope you guys don't mind getting your fill of the story. Just review and tell me what you think!


	42. Meeting Stella

A/N: wow! I'm on a role today! Sorry if I'm overwhelming you guys suddenly with a bunch of chapters, but I've just been trying to think about other things since I lost my job today. Anyway, we're about to be introduced to a totally new character! I hope you guys like her as much as I do!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood...

.

.

.

It had been nearly three weeks since Jack had left with the doctor and Ianto found the team finally settling into place.

Gwen was perfect for investigations because she had been a P.C. and she had a naturally curious mind, always asking questions.

Owen did well in the field, and Ianto was surprised to find that Owen had finally started talking to Tosh again, finally feeling happy for her instead of jealous.

As for Tosh she was fine being the technical genius she was.

Ianto on the other had felt overwhelmed between his usual pile of work, and Jack's and it was stuff he knew the other's couldn't help him with, like taking care of Flat Holm which no one else knew about.

But then one day, Ianto got a very strange call from his father, asking him to go pick up a young girl from providence park and watch her for a few days till he could get her out to the states.

Knowing he wouldn't have any other time to go, he told Tosh that he was going to take the rest of the day off, then he waited till Tosh, Gwen and Owen were out on reports of a weevil sighting, before he left for the one place he hoped to never return.

"So, you're here about young Stella are you?" the orderly had asked him.

"Yes, I was asked to pick her up. She's going to a new home." he said, trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt walking through the hallways.

"Well I think that's wonderful. Stella is a real sweetheart, she deserves a good home. She fantasizes a lot though, and no one really knows where she came from. She won't tell anyone. She sounds like she's from around here though and she speaks Southern Welsh."

'Well, at least I'll have one thing in common with the girl.' Ianto thought to himself.

"This is Stella's room." the orderly announced as she stopped at a door.

Ianto starred. It was the same room he had been placed in after his suicide attempt, and when the woman opened the door, he saw the young girl sitting on the corner of her bed, huddled up against the wall, looking extremely lonely….. Just like he had when his parents first found him. He walked into the room and sat beside her, trying not to startle her.

"Hello Stella." he said softly.

The girl looked up and Ianto was surprised to see that she had a very unusual eye color, powder blue irises with red pupils. But then she smiled shyly at him

"Hi," she said quietly.

"I'm Ianto Midnightstar, it's nice to meet you Stella." he said, holding out his hand. He had decided it might be best to use his adoptive name to help Stella understand where she would be going when he explained it.

But for now, Stella just reached out and shook Ianto's hand with a gentle grip.

"So…. What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I'm here to take you to a new home Stella. One where you'll be quite average compared to others." he told her with a smile.

"Me? Average? I don't think so." she said disbelievingly.

"Yup. We've got some geniuses, a few sorcerers, an angel and a demon with human form, a komodo dragon and some elephants, we take in all sorts."

Stella smiled a tiny bit. "A sorcerer? So…. I'm not the only one here?" she asked.

"You're a sorceress?" he asked surprised.

"I'm still learning, but I've got a lot of it down!" she admitted.

"Well whenever you need help I'm sure Roderick would be more then happy to give you some tips." he said with a smile. Then he asked in a whisper, "Do you have doors too?"

Stella giggled. "Mine are lilac." she whispered back. "Why?"

"Our family has Black, red, green, blue, and Brown. You're the first one with a bright color. My cousin Suzaku Sanchez is only an apprentice right now, so he doesn't know how to make them yet." he explained. "Anyway, why don't you and I spend the day together? I gather you're about to become a member of my family, so we might as well get to know each other a bit."

"That would be lovely. Is it sunny outside?"

"Yes it is." Ianto told her.

"Even better!"

So Ianto waited outside while Stella changed and grabbed her belongings, but he was surprised when she just walked out in an old pair of slacks that were obviously too big for her, and a baggy old button up shirt that matched Jack's style.

"Now then, shall we go?"

"You don't have anything?" he asked.

"Nope." she said honestly with a shake of her head.

"Alright then, I say we go get you some clothes." he told her as they walked through the hallway.

"But I have no money Mr. Midnightstar." she pointed out.

"But you need clothes Stella." he pointed out.

After they had walked out of the hospital he asked her, "So how old are you Stella?"

"I'm fourteen."

"And your parents?"

"I was taken away from them when I was a baby."

"Where are you from?"

"1742. But I didn't want to be a king's sorceress. Once I figured out my doors I ran away. I just kinda…. Go where ever my doors may lead. Hence the clothes circa 1920."

Ianto was astonished by the revelation. She was out of his Uncle Conner's time. "You speak pretty modern English for someone from 1742."

"I've been wandering around modern times since I was ten. I learned to adapt." she said with a smile. "But then I got caught and they brought me here assuming that I was crazy." She paused and looked at him. "You don't think I'm crazy too do you?"

"No. I think you'd get along well with my Uncle Conner." he said honestly as he helped her into his car. "But for now, I think some fresh set of clothes are in order."

"But I have no money." she pointed out again as he started the engine.

"Don't worry. My dad sent some money for you figuring you'd need some clothes and stuff. You'll be going to San Diego in California soon. That's where my family lives."

"Then why do you live here? In Cardiff?" she asked.

"Because this is where my life is at the moment." he admitted. "I lived out there for a while though, it's a wonderful home."

As they drove to the city center Ianto told Stella all about the family and their home and she seemed to accept it as a nice place to go to since she hadn't had a home in almost four years.

"So… what kind of clothes can I get?" Stella asked as they walked through Queens arcade.

"Well, I don't know what you like to wear." Ianto said honestly.

Stella paused thoughtfully. "I don't know either." she admitted, ignoring the strange looks she was getting about her current wardrobe.

"Well then, this is going to be a long shopping day." he said with a chuckle.

In the end, Stella had turned out to have no discernible style. She wore everything from conservative clothing to some cute punk type outfits, and some frilly clothes too.

She also seemed to like suits. Ianto had decided to get himself some new suits, partially because he wanted some that didn't smell like Jack all the time, and partially because he had been filling out a bit so he needed some bigger ones, but then he decided to go for brighter colors, like rich reds and pinks.

In the end Stella had a whole new wardrobe including a couple suits of her own and Ianto had four new suits,

Ianto was really starting to like the girl's company. She had a surprising wit and a sweet sense of humor that countered his dry one. He had taken her out to dinner and they talked happily the entire time.

Unfortunately at his flat, the couch was really the only place she had to sleep, but Stella didn't seem to mind it as she curled up under her blanket and drifted off to sleep with a small smile on her face.

The next morning Ianto really had no idea what to do with Stella since he had to go back to work.

"Can I go?" Stella had asked curiously.

"I think it's best if you stay here Stella." he said.

"Can I go please? I'll get bored here by myself, and I promise I'll be good, and I'll keep out of trouble." she begged.

Ianto let out a heavy sigh. He knew he shouldn't but he really didn't want to leave her alone either. Then he decided that she could probably do a few chores and odd jobs around the hub. "Alright, you can come, just behave yourself." he sighed.

"Yay!" she giggled, then she jumped up and ran to get dressed in the bathroom.

Ianto had been surprised when she came out in one of her suits.

"You don't have to wear a suit you know." he pointed out.

"I know. But I figured you were wearing one, so I would too." she shrugged.

Ianto just smiled and shook his head, then drove to them to the hub.

"Wow, it's really neat down here." said Stella when they had walked into the main workspace. "Kinda messy though."

Ianto couldn't help but chuckle. Stella had the same reaction that Ianto had given Jack when he first started working.

"Normally cleaning was one of my duties, but I've had too much to deal with lately. Which, speaking of that, I've got a phone call with our UNIT liaison in five minutes." he sighed, looking at his watch. "If you don't mind waiting for a bit Stella, I'll find you something to do when I'm done."

"I'll be patient Mr. Midnightstar." she said honestly.

Ianto smiled then went into the office, took a seat at the desk that he now considered shared between him and Jack, then got started on the paperwork and the long arduous phone call.

Only about ten minutes in the man began arguing about Torchwood and UNIT territories and Ianto wanted to sigh. 'I should've made myself a cup of coffee first.' he thought to himself. But at that moment he was surprised when he saw his favorite mug set in front of him full of steaming hot coffee.

He looked up at Stella surprised and she just smiled and shrugged before leaving the office. He reached for the mug and took a tentative sip before smiling. It was fantastic, almost as good as his own, but with a subtle difference that he thoroughly enjoyed. 'Okay, now I can deal with this stubborn arse.' he thought with a smile. And deal with the man he did, putting him in his place and ending the call completely satisfied about how it had gone.

After a few minutes Ianto walked out into the main area of the hub with his empty mug to find the place spotless. Stella had cleaned the entire place, and it was well up to his standards.

"I don't suppose I could get another cup of coffee could I Stella?" he asked after finding her in the kitchen.

"Was it good?" she asked shyly.

"It was fantastic. I didn't know you could make coffee."

"That was my first cup." she admitted.

Ianto blinked in surprise. "Really? The first cup you've ever made?"

"Yup. I've had coffee before, I don't really care for it, but I know most adults like it as a pick me up and you looked like you could use a cup, so I thought I'd give it a try."

Ianto smiled. "Well, I would definitely appreciate another cup, and thank you for cleaning up the hub Stella."

"You're welcome."

.

Over the next few days Ianto found himself becoming very attached to Stella. Even the rest of the team had come to enjoy having her around.

Owen even described her as a teenage girl version of Ianto because she had taken over several of Ianto's jobs in the hub including making coffee, cleaning up, ordering food for everyone, and running the tourist office.

But it was the help that Ianto had desperately been needing while Jack was gone. She had taken quite a bit of work from him, even if it was only temporary.

One night though, Ianto realized just how much he had needed Stella around. He had been trying to sleep, but it was no use. His pillow and blankets still smelled heavily of Jack's pheromones, and it was making it difficult to sleep as he continuously rolled around, unable to get comfortable.

"Are you alright Mr. Midnightstar, I can hear you rustling around in here from the couch." Stella said sitting beside him on the bed.

"It's been a long couple of weeks Stella." he sighed, sitting up.

"You miss him." Stella said.

"How do you know I'm missing anyone?" he asked with a raised brow.

Stella giggled at him. "Well it's obvious that someone else lives here normally. You only sleep on one half of the bed, your closet is split down the middle and the other half has clothes that are a little big for you. The medicine cabinet is the same way, one half is full of toiletries that you don't use."

Ianto couldn't help but smile a tiny bit. Stella was obviously very observant.

"It's that Mr. Harkness fellow that the other's keep talking about isn't it?" she asked.

Ianto nodded. "There are days I wonder if he really will come back, and days I tell myself that there's really not much of a chance. Sometimes I wonder why I don't just leave Torchwood and try and have a normal family which I'll never get as long as I work for them."

"But you love him, and you wouldn't leave Torchwood. It's your home too." Stella said.

Ianto let out a heavy sigh. "I do. And I just sit and wait and hope."

"He'll come back Mr. Midnightstar, I'm sure he will!" said Stella reassuringly. "And…. If you wanted a family…."

Ianto looked at her with a raised brow as she looked down at the blanket and picked at her striped socks.

"What Stella?" he asked softly. "If I wanted a family..." he paused to get her to finish her sentence.

"I Kinda like it here." she said, shyly, her cheeks turning pink. "I could be your family, and then when Mr. Harkness came back, we could be a family together. Not really a normal family, and a really small one, but a family."

Ianto couldn't help but smile a little. "You're talking about me adopting you?"

She nodded not looking at him.

"Well, I suppose that is an option." he admitted. "I have grown quite attached to you, and I don't see the rest of the team giving you up very easily either. But we would have to move. You are a growing girl and you do need your own bedroom, and we'll have to get you into school. But you could still help run the tourist office after school if you wanted."

Stella smiled. "I'd like that. I've never really been to school." she admitted. "I can read very well though."

"I noticed that considering you do quite well in the archives. You're the first person I don't mind down there since I organized the place."

"See, we get along well because we're very similar." Stella pointed out.

"That we are. Mind you I didn't come from the eighteenth century." he pointed out with a chuckle.

"You aren't gonna hold that against me are ya?" she asked with a grin.

"Of course not sweetheart. Anyway, I'll call my father tomorrow, and then we'll see about getting you papers to stay here with me."

Stella let out a tiny squeal of excitement. "Yay! Thanks Mr. Midnightstar!" she said. Then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running back out into the living room for the rest of the night.

Ianto just chuckled and shook his head before laying down. Maybe he would actually have a chance at a family. Stella was giving him part of that opportunity, now all he wanted was Jack to come home. Then his life would be as normal as it could get. After a few moments of contemplation, Ianto just let out a sigh and closed his eyes, then he drifted off to sleep.

.

.

.

A/N: like I said, I've have nothing to do all day, so I thought I'd at least indulge my faithful readers with some extra chapters. What did you guys think about Stella? I hope you guys like her as much as James. Let me know! Oh, and speaking of James, I'm torn between letting him stay with Tosh, or letting Tosh try and go with Owen, but I want you opinions. Think of it as a poll of sorts. If you want Tosh to stay with James I'll let her stay with James if not, then she won't. So let me know!


	43. the year that never was and jacks return

A/N: okay, I'm ready to finish off the year that never was, so enjoy guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, or Dr. Who for that matter.

Jack wanted to give up. He wanted so desperately to give up. He had been in shackles for nearly a year now, dying every day. He could hear the poor Tardis, crying in his head, she was in just as much pain as he was. His only reprieve was that he had become so weak that he would be dead for almost a full day or more.

Ianto. He was always thinking of Ianto, that kept him sane.

But then the master had found Jack's team, killed them one by one. Made Jack watch as he killed the man he loved. Jack hoped the doctor was right, he could hear the man in his head telling him to wait, be patient, everything would reverse it self with time.

Of course, their first attempt at escaping didn't work very well. But Martha Jones was out there somewhere, and when she returned, that would be their chance.

But in the mean time, he had what felt like forever to think. So he did. He thought about Ianto, and the others, Even about Ianto's family. The large family that had accepted him, that didn't care that he was immortal, that didn't care that he was from the future. Ianto and his family had accepted Jack with open arms and had told him how much they cared about him.

Jack closed his eyes with a smile and sat remembering the things that he had come to love and enjoy in his life. The memories that made him smile.

Kit, Tara, even Niles and his mad scientist get up. Kit and Lilly, their love of sea creatures. The time he went searching for sea stars with them at the tide pools. Spending time with Ianto in his special hideaway watching the fish swim by, and the hug he received from Allie the polar bear. The look on Owen's face when James was introduced as Tosh's date. That one was still making him laugh. He thought about the night after the family festival when Ianto had taken control and made Jack drool just at the sight of his sexy smile. There was his first air show with Ianto. What a memory that was.

Jack chuckled softly remembering that show. Ianto was like the rest of the kids that day. Jumping up and down with excitement, showing an impressive love of airplanes and fighter jets. Jack thought of the look on Ianto's face as they watched the blue angels fly. Originally Jack had been watching the planes, just as intrigued as the others, but then he caught a glimpse of Ianto's face. Ianto had been starring up at the sky, watching the planes, his face full of childish awe and wonder. It had reminded Jack of just how young Ianto really was. But he had also realized that Ianto had been happy that day, nothing that suggested that he had ever been through the trauma of Canary Wharf or even the Brecons. He had been happy and Jack remembered how Ianto had never stopped smiling all day with a cheerfulness that showed in his bright blue eyes.

'What are you thinking of that has you so content Jack?' a soft voice in his head whispered.

'I was thinking of Ianto and the family that doesn't care if the universe thinks I'm wrong.' Jack told the doctor in his mind.

He heard that time lord chuckle softly. 'Any particular memory?'

'My first air show with the Midnightstars.' he admitted. He played back the memory in his head, knowing the Doctor would be able to catch glimpses of it.

'It appears to me, that this particular young man refuses to give you up for the world.' the Doctor said, a hint of admiration in his voice.

'I can't give up Doctor. I have to get home to him.' he said with fierce determination.

'And you will Jack. I promise you that. Just be patient, and keep holding on to those happy memories you have.'

'Doctor, if you know Alistair, have you ever met Kit?'

'Kit….. Name doesn't sound familiar. I have met Alistair's daughter Lilly. She was a baby though.'

Jack decided to give the Doctor something to smile about, and he sat remembering his time in the tide pools, playing with Kit and Lilly.

'My how she's grown. Her teeth are starting to look more human, that's impressive.'

Jack chuckled to himself. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Well those twelve big teeth she's got, she's was born with a mouth full of them. She looked like a shark. She bit me once when I was playing with her, thought she was going to bite my finger off!'

Jack tried so hard not to, but he found himself laughing.

'What's so funny?'

"Nothing. Nothing." he muttered, tears in his eyes from laughter. "You just made me smile, that's all!"

'Well I'm glad that my almost loosing a finger to a half demon child is amusing to you.' the Doctor muttered, annoyance in his voice.

"I can't help it." Jack giggled.

'Cheeky devil.' the Doctor growled.

But that just spurred on Jack's giggles. Now he didn't care if he was shackled and it didn't matter if the Master came to torture him now. Nothing, and he meant nothing, was going to ruin the mood that his memories and the Doctor had put him in.

.

Eventually Martha returned, the doctor regained his strength and the paradox machine was destroyed, reversing all of time back a year. But then Lucy Saxon killed the Master leaving the doctor broken and alone again.

Jack felt for him as he stood beside Martha watching the Time Lord weep uncontrollably. It was bad enough for him to be alone for his first hundred or so years, he didn't want to know what he was going to feel like by the time he reached the Doctor's age. He wanted to walk over and try and comfort the Doctor, but he had a feeling that his condolences would be of no use.

But as he continued debating, a strange feeling came over him. It was like a wave that suddenly caused all of time to stop for everyone except him, Martha, and the Doctor.

Then he heard a surprisingly familiar voice.

"Come now Doctor, you'll be alright." it said softly.

"Alistair?" Jack asked, seeing no one.

It was then that the giant stepped out of the shadows. Jack recognized the outfit as the same black silk uniform Malachai had worn, but he had his large black wings folded behind him.

Alistair reached down and gently lifted the Doctor to his feet.

"Who is he?" Martha whispered. "What is he?"

"He's the Master of Dark souls." Jack whispered back. "His name is Alistair."

The two watched as Alistair knelt down to look in the Doctor's eyes.

"Doctor, look at me, you're not alone and you know that. And isn't it better that he went easily, instead of dying by my hand?" Alistair asked, softly, gently wiping away some of the Doctor's tears with his thumb

The doctor nodded and sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve like a child.

It was the first time Jack had ever seen the Doctor look so vulnerable. He was obviously Alistair's elder, but the way the two interacted it looked like it could have been the other way around.

"I know you'll miss him, but think of it this way, he'll no longer hear the drums in his head that Rassillion put there, right?"

The Doctor nodded again.

"And you know you're not alone. Don't forget Tucker. Tucker misses his father very much. He's only seen you once, and he's sixteen now."

'Tucker? As in… Ianto's little brother Tucker?' Jack wondered in his head. But then again, the way Ianto's family was, he wouldn't be surprised if they had the son of a time lord living with them.

"Now then, come here, it'll all be alright." said Alistair extending his arms.

The Doctor suddenly threw his arms around the giant's neck and sobbed against his chest uncontrollably.

Alistair sat down on the floor, gently setting the Doctor in his lap, holding him tightly as he wrapped his great big wings around him, as if he was the Doctor's father, trying to keep him safe and make him feel better. He just sat and rocked the Time Lord back and forth like a baby and whispered reassuring words until the Doctor's wails subsided, and he quietly drifted off to sleep. He looked up at them with a tiny smile

"Who's older?" Jack couldn't help but ask.

"He is, but it's a matter of mental superiority in our case." Alistair said softly. He let out a heavy sigh and looked over at the Master's body. Then he growled. "I will have Obadiah's head for this. He neglected his ward and this is what happened."

"Who are you?" Martha asked, hiding behind Jack a little.

"My name is Alistair, and I am the king of the demons and master of dark souls. I am also the Doctor's keeper. I do hate to see him like this though. He's always so lonely."

Jack walked over and looked down through Alistair's wings to see the Doctor asleep, curled up against Alistair's chest, his fist clutching at the black silk vest. "He looks so young." he said softly.

Alistair chuckled a little. "It's funny really, every regeneration that the Doctor has gone through, he seems to get younger. It started with the fifth and since then, he prefers to have a younger body when he regenerates. It's like a child that wants to pretend he's older till he eventually changes to an older soul who wants to be younger. Only he actually has that rare ability."

"So… what d'you mean you're his keeper? Keeper of what?" Martha asked, standing beside Jack.

"I'm the keeper of his soul. His records. People with great power in the world, like Time Lords, or sorcerers like Roderick, they have to be kept in line. I was assigned to the Doctor when I was created. Personally I wonder if my predecessor would rather have eaten him then kept track of him."

"You've never eaten anyone have you?" Jack asked slowly.

"No. I've never eaten anyone. Biting someone's head off is another story entirely though."

Jack gulped and let out a nervous chuckle. "Figuratively right? Like… Ha ha I'm joking?"

"No. His name was Machitehew. He didn't taste very good. That's why I don't get why the lower demons eat each other over name calling. But when I said I'll have Obadiah's head. I meant it.

"And you thought I was scary with a severed hand in a jar." Jack whispered to Martha who just starred in shock.

Alistair chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to bite anyone. Do I look like I could rip your head off with these teeth?"

"No…. the doctor once told me how Lilly almost bit his finger off when she was a baby though."

This time Alistair let out a bark of laughter. "I do recall that day! He was tickling her chin and she giggled, but then she grabbed his finger and bit it. I think my children and I seem to swing more toward the carnivorous side of being an omnivore. Al used to steal Conner's steaks when he wasn't looking, and when Conner would turn around he'd find Al gnawing on it. Lilly was the same way."

"And this is the family of the man you love?" Martha asked.

Jack chuckled. "Now you see why they willingly accepted me."

"Jack is relatively normal compared to some in the family." Alistair said honestly.

"So…. Tucker? Are we talking about….. Tucker, Ianto's brother Tucker?"

"Yes. I think Tucker's mother was a bit disturbed when she found out he had two hearts, so she didn't want him anymore. We have him now. He's technically the son of the early ninth doctor. Just after his regeneration. But he wanted Tucker to try and have a normal life with his mother. Not like that really happened but…. He's better off now."

"So the Doctor has a son?" Martha asked.

"The Doctor has a son." Alistair confirmed. "Tucker is only part Time Lord, but he actually has two hearts like they do. Though I must admit, sometimes Tucker is like his father's current incarnation. He licks everything."

Jack laughed as Alistair wrinkled his nose slightly as if remembering something.

"Or he'd be like Alan and chew on everything." he added.

"Al chewed on things?" Jack asked with a chuckle.

"I remember one time, I felt something tugging on the hem of my jacket, I looked down and there was two year old Alan chewing on it. But then he'd stop and look up and you knew you should say no, but he just looked so adorable, and then he'd go right back to chewing on it."

"Is this the same son that took a dart to the windpipe?" Martha asked slowly.

"One in the same. Anyway. I say we let the doctor rest then he can get you two back to where ever it is you need to go."

And so they let the Doctor sleep for a while, after Alistair had unfroze time. With a little bit of rebuilding the Tardis was able to take them back to four months after Jack had left.

The Doctor had actually invited Jack to travel with him again, but Jack decided not to.

"I need to stay here Doctor. This is my home now." he said, shaking his head. "If you had asked me about a year ago, I may have said yes. But not any more."

"Ianto?" the Doctor asked with a smile.

Jack nodded. "Ianto, and Myfanwy too."

The Doctor laughed. "Then stay." he said.

After saying thank you and goodbye, Jack turned to walk towards the water tower. He was home.

"Jack!" came an elated voice with a smooth Welsh accent.

Before Jack could figure out what hit him, Ianto had his arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, before he placed both hands on Jack's cheeks and pulled him down for a warm and welcome kiss.

"Welcome home Jack." Ianto said breathlessly.

Jack just chuckled and tilted sideways. The kiss had left him dazed to the point that he felt pleasantly tipsy.

Ianto grabbed his hand with a laugh and pulled him upright.

That was when Jack got his first good look at Ianto, and he felt his mouth water.

Ianto had finally gained a bit of weight so that he no longer looked as skinny as a twig, like he had for a while. He had a new suit with fantastic pink shirt and a bright striped tie.

Ianto gently took a hold of his coat lapels and pulled him in close. "You're drooling Jack." he whispered in Jack's ear, making the older man shiver in delight. "And in front of the doctor no less."

Jack shook his head and swallowed hard, then he turned to see the Doctor and Martha giggling like giddy school girls.

"Alright you two, that's enough. What's so funny?" Jack asked, walking back over to them, Ianto by his side.

"I am impressed!" said the Doctor. "Judging by that public display of affection the kid really does love you! No wonder you've been wanting to come home!"

Jack laughed a little, but then he noticed that Ianto was standing behind him, eyeing Martha suspiciously. "What's gotten into you?" he asked.

"You look like Adeola." Ianto told Martha slowly. "But Adeola died during the battle of Canary Wharf right? I'm not finally going bonkers?"

"I'm Adeola's cousin Martha. Nice to meet you Ianto." said Martha with a smile, holding out her hand.

After a moment Ianto smiled and shook it.

"So you were there for Canary Wharf were you?" the Doctor asked Ianto.

"I was head archivist of Torchwood London." Ianto admitted.

The Doctor looked very surprised. "How did you manage that as a child? Or better yet, how did you even get recruited into Torchwood with Alistair as your older brother?"

"There's a bit of a story behind that." Ianto said with a tiny smile, nodding his head side to side.

"Right well, I'm thoroughly impressed." he muttered.

Just then the conversation was interrupted when they head someone shout "Daddy!" in a thick Welsh accent.

Jack was astonished when a young woman in a suit ran up and nearly tackled Ianto in a hug, making him laugh.

"I was going to come back inside Stella!" Ianto laughed, hugging her back.

The girl named Stella turned and smiled at Jack.

"Hi Mr. Harkness! I'm Stella."

Jack smiled little. "Hello Stella." then he paused as his mind registered what she had called Ianto. "Wait! Daddy?"

"There's a story behind that too." Ianto said with a smile. "She's just as much out of her time as you are."

"Yup!" she paused and narrowed her eyes and Jack and the Doctor. "You guys aren't going to make me go back to 1742 are you?" she asked suspiciously.

"1742? What on earth are you doing in Cardiff in 2008?" the Doctor asked.

"I didn't want to be the king's sorceress so I ran away when I was ten!" she admitted proudly. "Then I was supposed to go live with the Midnightstars, but they let daddy, adopt me instead."

Jack looked at Ianto with a raised brow, but Ianto just smiled and shook his head.

"I'll explain when we get inside." he said. "Now then, let's go. Back to the hub."

After saying goodbye to Martha and the Doctor, Jack couldn't help but feel happy as Ianto gently ushered him and Stella back into the hub.

He was finally home, and he didn't want to leave for the world.

.

.

.

A/N: yay! Jack's home! And now Ianto's met the doctor, and Jack's met Stella! Woo! Now then, has anyone decided on James? If you have let me know!


	44. a chat over coffee

A/N: Yay! Jack's back and Ianto's happy! I just decided to write a nice little conversation between the two, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ianto or Jack unfortunately.

.

.

.

Ianto was so glad that Jack was finally back as he led Jack and Stella back down to the hub. So much had happened since he left that Ianto really had no idea where to start.

So Jack obviously decided to start it for him.

"So…. Stella? Where'd she come from?" Jack asked as Stella retreated to the tourist office and Ianto walked into the kitchen to get them some coffee.

"My father asked me to get her out of Providence Park. But I guess as we all got to know her, we grew attached." Ianto sighed. "She wanted a family, I wanted some semblance of a normal life, I needed help since I took on both of our work loads, she took part of my original duties, like coffee, cleaning, and running the tourist office. She comes in after school to help.

Jack was obviously a bit disappointed to not be included in the decision with Stella.

"She knows all about you, you know." Ianto admitted. "We both know where you've been and what has happened to you."

Jack stood stock still against the counter

"The year that never was. Quite a year from what I saw. The world was practically ending. You….." Ianto paused, his breath catching. He remembered the day Stella took him to see what had been happening to Jack. He saw his own death, heard Jack's painful cries. It was almost too much and he was only there for a little while. He set down the mugs and turned to hug Jack tightly. "I'm just glad you're home." he whispered.

Jack wrapped his arms tight around him. "I missed you so much Ianto." Jack said back.

"Rwy'n dy garu di Jack." he said softly.

"How do you say, I love you too, in Welsh?" Jack asked.

Ianto let out a soft chuckle. "Rwy'n dy garu di hefyd."

"Well then, rwy'n dy garu di hefyd, Ianto." Jack said, stumbling over the pronunciation a little.

"I know you do." Ianto said, leaning up and softly kissing Jack's lips. He gave Jack a gentle pat on the chest, then returned to making coffee. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I've taken over your desk."

Jack laughed a little. "So you took over huh?"

"Why?" Ianto asked, not looking up.

"Why what?"

"Why me? Do you know how angry Owen and Gwen were about it?"

"Tosh and I both agreed you'd be best."

"Why didn't you warn me?"

"I did. I kept trying, but you'd change the subject." Jack said, a bit of irritation in his voice. "Tosh and I both agreed you'd be best since you knew everything there was to know about Torchwood, I knew you could run things since you ran your own family while your father was gone. The place is still here and hasn't been overrun by UNIT so I take that as a sign that you did just fine."

Ianto let out a heavy, tired sigh. "The other's are upset that you never told them about leaving with the Doctor."

"Did you know you're brother is the Doctor's keeper?" he asked.

Ianto paused for a moment. There were things he had heard, but he really hadn't been sure. "I recall my brother saying he held records. But he never specifically mentioned the Doctor. It's very rare when I see what's in Angelica's pages. I'm sure the Doctor's records are quite long though, and I'm bet yours are as well."

"Not near as long as the Doctor's, but I'm sure they're a few pages worth." Jack agreed as Ianto handed him his favorite mug full of his industrial strength coffee.

Ianto watched as Jack took a sip and let out a happy sigh.

"God I missed you're coffee." he said with a smile.

"I told you that's all you'd miss. You didn't miss me, just my coffee." Ianto said with a soft chuckle.

"Maybe so." Jack said, getting the joke and shrugging with a chuckle of his own. "So…. You took over my desk did you?"

"I'm sorry, I snooped through that yellow tin box." Ianto said before he could stop himself.

Jack looked at him with a raised brow. Then he grinned. "I'm corrupting you! I turned you into a snooper too."

Ianto let out a tiny sigh, relieved that Jack wasn't angry. "So you have." he agreed. After a moment's pause he said, "Your wife, she was beautiful."

Jack smiled sadly. "Her name was Sarah, and we were married in 1902." he admitted.

Ianto smiled. "Sarah…."

Jack smiled a little, obviously realizing what Ianto was hinting at. "She did look a tad like your mother." he said with a tiny chuckle.

"Don't even go there, that's just weird." Ianto finally laughed. "To think you were married to someone that looked like my mother…." He shook his head to try and get the connection out of his mind. "Let's not mention their similarities again, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess that would be a little awkward." Jack said with a sigh.

Ianto smiled a little, but then he began thinking again. "You put that picture of us with the picture of you and your wife. Why?"

"Because you're just as important to me, if not more." Jack said honestly. "And that picture is my proof of it. I felt it deserved a special place."

"And I saw you're little notes with Alistair's five rules of life." he admitted. "I don't think hiring me counts as using your mind to do great things, Cariad."

Jack laughed. "You really did snoop!" he said making Ianto blush a bit. "Okay, so maybe that didn't count, but…. Did everything else?"

"You're really that at peace when I cuddle with you?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" he said. Then he paused and gave Ianto a shy look. "I don't have any nightmares when you cuddle with me."

Ianto really had no idea what to say to that. Suddenly Jack looked like a child which would explain the way the notes were written. He blinked, and blinked again. He didn't know what to say.

"I…. suppose that works." he shrugged. "And I make you that happy?"

"Yup."

It was a simple honest answer that made Ianto smile a little. "Well then, at least you know how to live by the rules."

"Do you?" Jack asked slowly.

Ianto chuckled. "My notes are slightly different, but yes, I do." he admitted with a shrug. "Though for me, using my mind to do great things involves keeping Torchwood running smoothly and trying my best to understand you."

"Are you at peace?" Jack asked slowly.

"I am now that you're back home." said Ianto honestly as he put his empty mug in the sink and rinsed it out. "Now then, I've got some work to do, and I'm sure you could use some rest. Why don't you and Stella go home for a while? You can lay down for a bit and get to know her."

"Stella, what's her last name?"

"Jones. She was calling me Mr. Midnightstar for a while, but that sounds like my dad and it's not my current legal name. So her name is Stella Jones."

Jack chuckled softly. "Stella Jones. It's got a ring to it. Like Ianto Jones does."

Ianto just shook his head with a tiny smile as he gently wrapped his arms around Jack's waist. "Go home, Jack, get some rest."

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"No, I just figured you'd like to lay down. You've had a very long year Jack and Stella has homework she's got to do anyway."

"Okay. Wait, where does Stella sleep?" he asked curiously.

"Well it's obvious she couldn't just sleep on the couch forever, so we had to move." he said slowly, unsure of Jack's reaction. "But don't worry, we took you into consideration when we picked the place, and it's organized just like the old flat. The closet, medicine cabinet, dresser and kitchen cupboards were organized the exact same way okay?"

"Umm… okay." Jack said slowly, obviously very unsure.

Ianto smiled and gave Jack a gentle kiss. "Trust me, you'll like it."

"How far is it?"

"It's about a one mile walk if you want to walk. Stella knows how to get home."

Jack sighed, but then he smiled. "And then you'll come home tonight?" he asked.

"Promise." Ianto said with a smile. "Then tomorrow after you've rested you can deal with the rest of the team, that make sense?"

"I think it makes perfect sense. I could use a nice long nap and something to eat."

"Good, now why don't you go get Stella from the tourist office and head home, I'll be there in a couple of hours." he said tugging Jack's head down for a kiss.

Jack gladly returned the display of affection, but Ianto slowly cut it off with a tiny sigh. "Not right now Cariad, as much as I'd love to, it should probably wait till I get home."

"I suppose." Jack sighed, hugging him tightly.

"Go on then." Ianto said, wanting to tell Jack to stay, but deciding it would be best if he finished his work and got the call to UNIT done and over with, and with Jack there, he'd be distracted to no end.

So after one last kiss, Ianto headed into the office, watching as Jack grabbed his coat and left through the cog door. But as he sat down at the desk he smiled a little. Jack was home, had returned as he promised. Now he might actually be able to get a peaceful night's sleep again. But for now, he just prayed that the rift stayed quiet, so that way, once the paperwork was done, and the team returned, he could tell them all to go home and he could go home to Jack and Stella. So he could go home to his family.

.

.

.

A/N: Ianto actually admitted to Jack that he snooped! Perfect! Now then, I think you'll like where their new flat is, but if you want to find out where it is and how well Jack get's along with Stella, well, you guys know what to do! Kindly leave me a review and I'll write up the next chapter. It's because all of you are so awesome and you continue to review that I keep writing!


	45. John Hart appears

A/N: alright, I stayed up extra late to make sure you guys had a nice long chapter, so I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood unfortunately.

.

.

.

Jack had no idea what his life with Ianto was going to be like now. He couldn't pretend that he wasn't somewhat hurt to not be included in Ianto's decision to take in the young girl. But he knew he might as well try to make the best of the situation. At least he knew Ianto still loved him, and loved him dearly, judging by how easily the young man showed his affection in public earlier that day.

He walked into the tourist office where Stella greeted him with a smile. "Hello Mr. Harkness." she said in a smooth Welsh accent that almost sounded like a feminine version of Ianto's.

"Hello Stella. You know, you can just call me Jack, okay?" he told her.

"I know. Dad said I could call him Ianto, but it didn't seem right. You're both my elders." she said with a shy blush.

Jack chuckled softly. "I don't care Stella. Call me Jack."

"Okay, Jack. Is there anything you needed?"

"Yeah, your dad wants you to show me how to get home, and then he said you've got homework to do." It sounded weird to Jack to be referring to Ianto as someone's dad, but at the same time, he had understood what Ianto had said, about wanting a family, some semblance of normal life that the two could share.

Of course, Jack had children, like Alice. But he never really got to know her, and if he had any other children, he didn't know about it. Maybe adopting Stella was Ianto's way of giving Jack some feeling of an average life as well as well as someone to talk to about feeling out of their own time.

"Well, do you want to walk, or call a cab?" Stella asked, picking up her book bag from behind the counter.

"Why don't we take a walk?" he decided. "I'd like to get to know you a bit better."

Stella smiled. "I'd like to get to know you too!" she admitted with a smile. "I didn't tell dad, but I figured that if you didn't like me much, I'd go live with the rest of the family in California, I don't want him to loose you, not if you love each other so much."

Jack was somewhat startled at Stella's revelation.

Here was this young teenage girl who craved a family and wanted to be loved, yet she wasn't willing to tear Ianto away from Jack to gain what she wanted. She had decided that she'd rather find another place then risk the two of them falling apart.

That was something Jack had to give her big credits for.

He smiled a little. "Well I don't want that to happen either Stella. I say we just try our best to get along. Who knows? We may get along perfectly. We just have to get to know each other to find out."

"Well I promise I'm very well behaved. I keep to myself and I make very good coffee, Dad helped me perfect my coffee skills. I'm very clean and organized, and quite quiet."

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Well I hate to say this sweetheart but I'm quite the opposite. I'm boisterous and loud, not very good at organizing, my coffee…. Well I don't know if it's really trustworthy, and I don't care if I walk out of the house with wrinkles in my clothes. The only reason I don't is because Ianto makes sure of that."

Stella laughed. "Well then I say if you get along with dad, and I can get used to Uncle James, we'll get along just fine!"

"Maybe so." Jack agreed. "So how about that walk home together?"

"Sounds like a plan." she decided with a smile.

So the two left the tourist office, Stella being sure to lock the door before they took a stroll across the plass.

"So, how old are you Stella?" he asked, deciding to be the first to start the conversation.

"I'm fourteen. How old are you?"

"One hundred seventy eight now."

"Then I shall compliment you on how gracefully you've aged." she giggled.

Jack smiled. "Why thank you." he said. "Though technically speaking, if we were going by the years we were born in, you'd be in your mid three hundreds and I won't be born for another three thousand years. So that would make you older then me."

Stella laughed whole heartedly, her brown ringlet curls bouncing as she did so. "This is true!" she said grinning. "I never thought of it that way!"

"So, where do we live?" Jack asked curiously.

"I was told to keep it a secret till we get home!" she said with a smile.

Jack was somewhat surprised by her announcement. "Why?" he asked slowly. "Is it someplace I won't like?"

"No! We're pretty sure you're going to love it! It's just that it's a surprise." she said.

"Alright then."

"So…. What year were you born?" she asked curiously.

"Somewhere around 5024. I can't give you an exact year anymore. I don't really remember."

"Oh, well I was born in 1732."

"That would make you…." Jack paused with a smile as he tried to do the math in his head. "Three thousand two hundred and ninety two years older then me."

"Wow, that's a lot of years."

"It is." Jack agreed with a smile.

As Stella watched him, Jack couldn't help but notice just how peculiar her eyes were. He's met some aliens with some out of the ordinary eyes, but nothing like Stella's. Her eyes were something else entirely. But he did his best to forget about it, and after a while he found himself forgetting about the color as he enjoyed the girl's company.

As they walked Jack found himself completely unaware of most of their surroundings as they talked and chatted. The more he got to know Stella the more he found that she was almost an exact mix of Ianto and himself. When comfortable she had Ianto's wit with Jack's humor, Ianto's quiet shy side with Jack's cheerfully, loud laughter.

After a while Jack lost track of how long they had been walking until they stopped in front of a building that he was surprised to recognize as the building that held his favorite roof top.

"You moved into the Altolusso?" he asked surprised.

Stella smiled and nodded. "Told ya you'd like it! Just wait till you see the flat itself!"

So Jack followed Stella up to the flat which was up on the fifteenth floor.

"Dad's room is on the left." Stella said pointing to the two doors on their right as they walked into the flat.

Jack couldn't help but smile. The flat really had been organized just like the old one, it just had different carpet and a fantastic view.

"Go ahead and get comfy. I'm sure dad said that the place is organized the same so you're clothes are still on the left hand side of the closet." she giggled, taking her shoes off at the door.

"I think I could definitely go for a shower and a nap." he said honestly as he hung up his coat.

"Well I'm sure you can find your way around, I've got homework to do." she said with a smile, then she walked into her bedroom.

Jack smiled and shook his head, then he walked into the bedroom on the left and chuckled. He was officially home. The room was practically identical to the room Jack spent so many nights with Ianto in, the only difference was that it had a view that was close to his favorite view on the roof.

Deciding that he really needed a shower he walked into the bathroom and started the water before stripping down and tossing his clothes on the floor, then he stepped into the shower and let out a happy sigh.

"Yup, I'm definitely home." he told himself with a smile as he stood under the hot spray. "I'm home, I have Ianto back, and it appears that I actually have a family."

Jack had no idea how long he stood in the shower but it wasn't long before he was shivering as the water turned cold. So he got out and dried off before wrapping the towel around his waist and venturing out into the bedroom where he found his socks, boxers, and undershirts in the same dresser drawer they had always been in, then he wandered over to the closet and found his usual shirts and slacks hung up neatly beside Ianto's pristine, pressed suits.

But he was surprised to find some new suits and shirts. Several had brighter colors like rich reds and deep blues, he had gotten several new waist coats and different types of suit jackets.

Just imagining Ianto in the red shirt and the waistcoat with the black front and red silk back had him practically salivating.

After a moment he gulped and sighed as he shook his head. "Just thinking about him in that suit and I'm drooling almost as bad as Aldair." he sighed, remembering the anteater and his nasty slobber. After a moment he picked out a clean pair of dark slacks. Then, dressed in just his slacks, undershirt and socks he decided to explore the new flat.

It really was the same he realized as he went through the cupboards. He made himself a cup of tea, then grabbed himself a handful of cheez-its which he had become somewhat addicted to thanks to Ianto constantly munching on the cheesy snacks.

Feeling somewhat restless he decided to go see what Stella was working on, so he knocked on the door, and upon hearing her say 'come in' he ventured into the world of the unusual teen girl.

Her room was bright and colorful full of pinks, oranges, and purples, but then he found a wall that reminded him of Niles and his 'scribble wall,' as he had dubbed it.

But this wall was full of strange symbols and signs as well as numbers and beside it was a stand with a huge book.

"That's my 'magic wall,' what do you think?" Stella asked with a smile.

"You really are a sorceress." he mumbled.

"Yup! That's my spell book. I'm still learning, but I've got the hang of most of it. Roderick comes over and helps me sometimes when I have time."

Jack smiled at her, but he was surprised to find her in old brown slacks and a cream colored shirt that looked like something out of the history books. "What are you wearing?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Hey! Leave my clothes from the 1920's alone!" she giggled. "I love them. They're comfy."

Jack laughed. "If you say so Stella."

"I do say so!"

"So, what are you working on?" he asked with a smile, walking over to sit on the bed by the edge of the desk.

"I'm working on my English homework." she said with a smile. "We're reading Macbeth."

"Oh, and what do you think of it?" he asked.

"I remember going back to see it at the globe theater once, I really didn't like it." she said honestly. "Not my favorite. I did like 'A Midsummer's night's dream' though. That was interesting."

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "You just traveled through times then did you?" he asked. But in his mind he was thinking 'She's like me, Ianto, Roderick, and the Doctor all rolled into one strange girl.'

"It was fun." she shrugged. "I've seen the American revolution, that was interesting."

"You know, I could've sworn that in the 1700's sorcery was banned and most magical beings were killed during the Spanish inquisition and the like."

"Yes, but there were a few that tried to keep it around. King George was one of them, even though he really wasn't much of a king. I think there was only about four of us left by then. There was me, two sorcerers that were about ten years older then me, and there were rumors that Master Midnight was still alive, but I never saw him." she shrugged.

"Wow, so Uncle Conner really is six hundred years old!" he said, somewhat surprised.

Stella looked surprised. "He's still alive?"

"Yup. He lives in Virginia." he confirmed.

"Master Midnight was almost as well known as Merlin, so some say he used to be stronger."

"Well I would have no idea about that. I haven't actually met him, I just hear stories from Ianto's family."

"Oh. Well if he's a part of the family, then I'm sure I'll meet him someday."

"I'm sure you will." he agreed, suddenly yawning.

Stella giggled. "You should go lay down and take a nap. You look tired."

"I think a nap is a fantastic idea." he yawned again.

"Well if you don't wake up before dinner, I'll wake you when it's ready, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks sweetheart. Good luck on that homework." he said, standing up.

Stella tipped her chair backwards, leaning her head back and holding out her arms. "Hug?" she asked.

Jack smiled a little, then he leaned down and wrapped an arm around her since his left hand still held the mug of tea. Stella happily returning the embrace with a giggle.

"Have a good nap Jack." she said.

"I will." he said honestly, then he finished off his tea and set the empty mug in the sink before heading to the bedroom and laying down to take a nap.

After a while Jack woke up with a tiny snort, before he sat up, somewhat confused as to where he was since the room was dark. Then he found his arms curled around a very familiar pillow and he remembered that he was home in Ianto's flat.

He glanced at the clock and saw that it was after six in the evening, so he wandered out into the living room and found Stella in the kitchen making dinner.

"Ianto's not home yet?' he asked, getting himself a glass of water.

"Dad called and said that he'd be late, something about them chasing a blowfish." she said, cutting up potatoes and putting them in a bowl.

Jack paused. "A blowfish?" He hadn't chased a blowfish in years. He almost missed the adrenaline rush of a blowfish chase or a weevil hunt since he hadn't had either in a long time.

"What's got you all in a tizzy then?" Stella asked with a smile.

"I haven't been on a blowfish chase in years." he admitted.

Stella giggled. "You'd like to go too then huh?" she asked.

"I have no idea where they are." he shrugged.

"Well… how about we go get a taxi to the hub, and we track them down?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

Jack looked at her with a raised brow for a moment, but then he smiled as well, his grin mirroring hers. "I say that's a fantastic idea!" he said.

"Then go get dressed!" she said, ushering him out of the kitchen.

He was about to run into the bedroom till he paused and turned to look at her. "Wait! Did you finish your homework?" he asked in fatherly tone.

Stella laughed. "Yes! I had it done almost an hour ago!"

"Alright then, just making sure. Can't go on a blowfish chase if your homework's not done,"

Stella laughed even harder. "Listen to what you're saying Jack! Do you know how weird that sounds?"

"Hey, Ianto and I work for Torchwood and we want to take care of you. That includes finishing your homework before defending the earth against aliens got it?" he said with a mock sternness.

"Got it." she giggled.

"Okay then, now I'll go get dressed." he said, then he ran into the bedroom, tossed on a shirt and his braces, then after grabbing their shoes and coats, the two were out the door and hailing a taxi to the plass.

They took the invisible lift down to get inside quicker then Stella ran over to a workstation and went to work tracking the SUV.

"You are way to good at that for someone from the 1700's." Jack said watching how quickly she typed.

"I learned from dad and Miss. Tosh. I learned from the best." she shrugged. "It appears they're chasing a blowfish that stole a sports car."

Stella grabbed a couple of comm. sets, and handed one to Jack. "I'll help you find them, but you best get out of here fast."

Jack smiled. He was definitely liking Stella more and more every minute, especially now that she was becoming his partner in mischief.

With Stella's help he had found the rest of the team who were dealing with the Blowfish that was now holding a teenage girl hostage.

Jack waited till the right possible moment, then he took a shot hitting the blowfish right in the head, killing it. He watched as Ianto looked at his gun for a moment, then everyone turned and starred at him.

"Hey kids. D'ya miss me?" he asked with a grin and a chuckle. He almost faltered though when he saw the sudden look of annoyance on Ianto's face, a look he really wasn't used to.

Ianto said nothing, he just took control of everything, giving everyone orders to help take care of the family, and the blowfish body.

Jack found himself gulping. This was officially a side of Ianto he had never seen before. But one he'd seen in Ianto's father and Alistair. Ianto apparently had a 'Commander mode' as the family had dubbed it, where he took control of the situation, and looked like he was ready to bark out commands at any moment. He now knew he had made the right decision as he watched them all. It was a very serious side and very different from the Ianto that had come running to hug him that afternoon. But watching Ianto turned Jack on while simultaneously terrifying him, especially when Ianto suddenly turned on him.

"Sorry Ianto, I couldn't resist." Jack mumbled, suddenly feeling like a child with his father glaring at him for breaking the rules. "I haven't dealt with a blowfish in forever, and I was getting kinda antsy and…."

"How the hell did you even find us?" Ianto growled, making Jack jump slightly. "I told you to stay home and rest. I didn't the others to confront you just yet because they're really quite upset with you."

Jack leaned to the side a bit to see the others occasionally giving him dirty and cold looks.

"I just wanted to help." he muttered.

"You want to help? Then you get to clean up the blowfish brains that you sent splattering over the curtains." he said sternly.

Jack gulped and nodded, figuring it would be best to do as Ianto said because he suddenly didn't want to end up on the Welshman's bad side. So he went about cleaning the mess he had made, then they had administered retcon to the family before taking the blowfish's body and leaving.

Owen drove the stolen car back, Tosh riding with him as Ianto drove the SUV, Jack in the passenger seat Gwen in the back giving him dark looks.

When they arrived back at the hub, Jack found himself quietly standing aside as everyone did their jobs.

Of course, Stella did get a gentle scolding for helping Jack because the minute Ianto cornered her he said, "You and I are going to have a very long talk about this when we get home."

Stella had glanced at Jack, somewhat embarrassed and Jack felt bad for getting her into trouble as she retreated to the kitchen, presumably to make coffee.

"So, you guys got pretty organized while I was gone." he said, standing by and watching them.

"Yeah well, Commander Jones made sure of that." Owen scoffed, causing Ianto to give him a stern look before disappearing into the office.

Since no one would acknowledge him anymore after that, he tried again. "So… did you guys redecorate in here?"

Suddenly Gwen shoved him up against the wall. "You left us Jack!" she said angrily.

Owen and Tosh stopped what they were doing to watch.

"I know, I'm sorry." he said, really not wanting the confrontation, suddenly wishing he had stayed home like Ianto had told him.

"We knew nothing!" she shouted.

"Gwen! That's enough!" Ianto barked from the doorway, making everyone jump.

Gwen let out an angry huff before backing away.

"Where did you go Jack?" Tosh asked quietly.

"I found my Doctor." he shrugged.

"And did he fix you?" Owen asked.

"Nope, it appears I'm stuck like this forever." he admitted with a sigh, not really wanting to go into detail.

Just then Stella walked out with a tray full of coffee for everyone, and Jack let out a heavy sigh. The coffee appeared to be just the distraction the other's needed, so he quietly moved into the office to see that Ianto really had taken his desk, sitting in his chair. So Jack took a seat in front of the desk as Stella handed him a mug of coffee.

"Did you finish your homework Stella?" Ianto asked as she handed him his mug.

"Yes dad." she sighed. "Jack made sure of that."

Ianto looked at Jack and gave him a tiny smile. "You made sure?"

Jack smiled. "Yup. I told her homework comes first, saving the world from aliens come second." he said, trying to make Ianto loosen up a little.

Ianto chuckled softly with a shake of his head. "Are you sure you still want to be a family with us Stella?" he asked with a smile.

Stella smiled and nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way." she said. "Would you like me to get started on the paperwork for the car?"

"That would be fantastic Stella."

Stella just nodded then left the office, shutting the door behind her.

"Now do you see why I wanted you to wait till tomorrow?" Ianto asked with a sigh.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't help it"

"Be honest, did you suggest tracking us, or did Stella?" he asked.

Jack closed his mouth, not really wanting to get Stella in trouble.

"Stella did. I should've known." he muttered. "She's kinda like you I've noticed."

"It appears to me that she's you and I rolled into one." Jack said honestly. "I like her, she's a sweetheart."

"She is." he agreed.

"So, you took over well."

"Owen and Gwen really weren't happy. I run this place like the archives." he admitted.

"You run this place like your father runs his ship." Jack said with a chuckle.

"Well that's why you left me in charge is it not?"

Jack nodded. It was why he left Ianto in charge, realizing that Ianto had a leadership quality to him that the other's didn't have. He had just needed the right situation to bring it out. Of course, now there was another issue and that was whether or not Jack was going to get full run of the place back from his strict lover, or if he was going to suddenly going to have no place in Torchwood since it appeared that Stella had taken over Ianto's duties.

But just as he was about to voice his question, there was a soft knock on the door and Stella walked in, informing them of a rift spike.

Stella stayed behind to give technical support and Jack left with the rest of the team to inspect a body with rift energy residue covering it.

There really wasn't much to go on, but as they were about to get back into the SUV Jack's vortex manipulator beeped.

"Woah, that never beeps." said Ianto suddenly.

"That's what I was thinking." Jack admitted. But when he pressed the button he saw the hologram of someone he really didn't want to see again and ignoring the protests he jumped into the SUV and drove off.

"I can't believe you just left them Jack!" he heard Stella complain over the comm unit in his ear.

"I don't want them getting mixed up with this guy Stella." he said honestly.

"Then why didn't you just take a cab?" she sighed.

Jack paused in his thoughts for a moment. "In hindsight, I probably should have, but….."

"Is this man that dangerous?"

"He's a reminder of my past that I don't want on my turf." he told her. "And he doesn't have much of a conscience either."

"Great, well don't bring him back here, or if you do, make sure he's cuffed!" she complained. "If not, one wrong move and I can assure you he'll have the drink tray on his head before I make his bones disappear!"

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "I'll keep that in mind sweetheart." he said.

"And just so you know, they're tracking you. They must have gotten a taxi cause they're on the move so make it snappy!"

"Are you my partner in crime now Stella?" he asked.

"Tell dad and I swear to God I have a spell that will stop you from talking for a week!" she warned him.

"I will keep that in mind as well. Thank you for your help Stella." he said, then he turned off the comm link and pulled up to the bar.

The man was still hot, he had to admit, but not as hot as Ianto. Jack prayed Ianto would forgive him for the kiss, considering it was the start of a real barroom brawl.

He warned Hart that he wanted him off his turf, especially now that he knew the man went to murder rehab. Jack just wanted him gone.

But he couldn't help but find it endearing when he heard the jealousy in Ianto's voice when he asked Hart what kind of partners they had been. It just gave Jack more of a reason to get his psychotic ex out of the way.

They took Hart back to the hub, and Ianto obviously disliked him immediately, of course, then Jack remembered that Hart's obnoxious, obscene emotions were probably giving Ianto a headache.

After words they headed up to the board room but Gwen tried to corner Jack, asking where he had been.

"Just know, that I've seen enough unspeakable horrors to not be ready to talk about it yet." he told her trying to put her off.

"You can't just leave us in the dark Jack!" Gwen had protested.

"Please Gwen. When I'm ready I'll tell everyone, but for now, I really don't want to talk about it." he said, with a tiny sigh as he gently held her hand. "Please?"

Gwen let out a grumble of annoyance. "Why leave Ianto in charge?" she asked.

'Oh no, a different confrontation now.' he thought tiredly. "Because I know what Ianto's capable of, even if the rest of you don't. Why, was he that bad?"

"Sometimes he was like you, sometimes he was like a dictator." she muttered.

Jack laughed a little. "But you're all working together well." he pointed out.

Gwen let out a sigh and shrugged. "I guess. He did lighten up a little more when we started working better. I guess none of us knew he could be like that."

"Well I do. You forget he comes from a big military family. He used to run the family when his father was on deployments, so between that and the fact that he practically ran everything anyway….."

"We've all taken him for granted haven't we?" she asked quietly.

"Just be happy Ianto's not the type to hold a grudge. Then you really would be miserable working with him."

"I guess you've got a point." she admitted.

"Now then, will you drop the subjects? For now?" he asked.

"Yes Jack." she sighed.

Jack had been surprised but glad to find out that Gwen was now engaged to Rhys, apparently ready to keep hold of her normal life.

Up in the board room everyone took a seat as Stella brought everyone coffee to get them through the night, but apparently Hart wanted to hassle her.

"A bit young to be working isn't she?" Hart asked, tweaking the fabric on her shoulder. "And what are you wearing?"

"I wouldn't make her angry if I were you." Owen warned him.

"I told you that if he was trouble and you were going to bring him back, I wanted him in cuffs!" Stella protested, looking at Jack.

"Ooh, and she's feisty." he chuckled.

"Fair warning, back away now or she will hurt you." Ianto muttered before taking a sip of his coffee.

Jack was somewhat surprised at Ianto's calm warning when Hart was antagonizing his daughter.

"What's she gonna do besides stare at me with those freaky eyes?" he laughed.

Stella let out a loud growl and smashed the tray over his head.

Hart looked like a cartoon now with his head sticking out of the tray, the wood stuck around his neck.

"Why you little brat!" he growled, lunging at her.

But with a snap of her fingers, Hart suddenly disappeared, the tray falling onto his heap of clothes on the floor.

Stella reached down and picked up a little rat.

"You done being a jerk now?" she snapped at it as the other's laughed and Jack watched on in awe and curiosity.

The rat tried to bite her thumb but she just snickered. "I'm not stupid! I knew you were going to try and bite so I made you a toothless rat you idiot. Now then, are you going to leave me alone?"

The rat squeaked trying to get free.

"Are you going to leave me alone?" she asked again.

The rat nodded and Stella dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor. Then with another snap of her fingers, Hart appeared human again, but nude, and he quickly picked up his clothes, covering himself as he left the boardroom in embarrassment to get dressed as the room filled with roars of laughter.

"And now I know never to mess with you." Jack muttered, picking up the tray and examining the damage.

"I told you what I'd do if he made a wrong move." Stella said taking the tray from him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

Jack watched as she walked out of the room as Hart walked back in, fully dressed.

"We gave you fair warning Mate." Owen chuckled.

"What the hell was that?" Hart snapped.

"That was my daughter, the fourteen year old sorceress that doesn't like to be messed with." said Ianto calmly, fixing Hart with a cool stare. "Now then, do you want our help or not?"

Soon they were split off into teams, and Jack was relieved when Ianto had paired them together, putting Hart with Gwen. He hoped it would give them a chance to talk. But the whole drive, Ianto was indifferent to him being there.

It was making Jack nervous that maybe he had done the wrong thing, so when they entered the office he tried to flirt and joke with him, trying to get him to talk. But Ianto cut him off making Jack even more nervous.

"Are you alright Ianto?" he asked slowly.

"All the better for having you back sir." Ianto said.

"Sir? You haven't called me sir in forever." he said surprised. Maybe he really was in trouble. "So can we drop it again?"

"Whatever you say Jack." Ianto muttered, looking through the desk drawers.

"Did I anger you somehow?" Jack asked.

"No, I'm just…. Tired." Ianto sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I was thinking, now, since I'm back, maybe,….." he sighed, he was babbling. "We could go to dinner? A movie?"

Ianto paused to look at him. "You're asking me on a date in the middle of an office?"

"Interested? I mean, we haven't had a date together in forever."

"Well…" Ianto huffed. "As long as it's not in an office. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself Cariad."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. At least Ianto was still calling him Cariad. That was a good sign. "It looks like we're going to have to search every drawer, bin, and plant pot." he was babbling again.

"Right, I'll do this floor, don't want you getting overexcited."

'Cheeky bastard.' Jack thought as Ianto smirked.

"And you take the roof, you're good on roofs."

Jack just nodded and headed for the door.

"Jack?" Ianto asked.

Jack turned to look at him.

"Why are we helping him?"

"He's a reminder of my past, I want him gone." Jack said honestly. "I don't like him, I don't trust him, whatever happened between us was before I changed for the better. It's obvious he didn't follow suit. I just want him gone."

Ianto nodded in understanding.

Jack was about to turn and walk out again before he asked. "By the way, was that a yes?"

Ianto walked over to him, and gently rested a hand on the back of Jack's neck as he gave him a soft, sweet kiss. "Yes Cariad. Yes. But first, let's get Hart out of here."

Jack smiled. "Sounds like a plan!" he said, then he quickly headed towards the roof, leaving Ianto chuckling. He wanted Hart gone as soon as possible. Especially now that he had a date with Ianto. He had missed their dates, and he was excited to go on another one, giving him even more incentive to find that stupid canister.

.

.

.

A/N: like I said, a nice long chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I personally liked making Stella Jack's partner in mischief, that and turning Hart into a toothless rat, that was a favorite. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought and hopefully I'll have another chapter up by tonight!


	46. an interesting night

A/N: wow, forty six chapters and over two hundred reviews! I never thought that this story would make it this far! You guys are awesome! Anyway, another chapter up and ready to go, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood...

.

.

.

Ianto really didn't like the man called John Hart. In fact, he found himself going so far as to say that he actually _loathed_ him. He had found it extremely entertaining when Stella had turned him into a toothless rat.

As he searched through the desk drawers he found himself sighing heavily, his head was pounding between Jack and John.

He could hardly believe that Jack had shown up after he had told the man to stay home and rest. But at the same time Ianto should've known better then to try and keep Jack away from the action for too long. He had also felt Jack's uncertainty now that Ianto had taken Jack's place, and Stella had taken Ianto's. But Ianto knew he would relinquish control of Torchwood three once Jack was fully integrated back into the team. He had seen what Jack had gone through and he wanted to ease Jack back in by giving him smaller work loads before he was ready to take over again.

Ianto sighed as he closed a desk drawer after finding it empty. But then he heard the elevator ding. He had a bad feeling it wasn't Jack, so he pulled out his gun and cautiously walked out into the hall to find the elevator empty.

It was then that he felt the barrel of another gun against the back of his head.

"Don't move eye candy."

Ianto rolled his eyes. He really didn't like that name and this was now one more thing to add to the list of reasons why he hated John Hart. Before John could think, Ianto whirled around and kneed him in the stomach, taking away his gun.

"I've got to give you credit, that was a nice try, but I'm not easily intimidated, especially considering you're shorter then me." Ianto said, holding John at gunpoint.

But of course John had to do something to Gwen, and Tosh and Owen were missing, what else could go wrong? So Ianto rushed out of the building knowing that Jack could take care of himself.

The rest of the night was almost like a blur to him, thoughts running continuously through his head.

Gwen was taken hostage again? Why was Gwen the one always getting into trouble? At least Owen was able to take care of himself, and it wasn't the first time he'd had to take care of his own gunshot wound. Tosh was okay, nothing more then a bloody nose, no damage done. Stella and Ianto had gleefully counted down the seconds on the stopwatch after the bomb attached itself to John Hart's chest. They both wanted the psychotic man gone.

Time had reversed itself to when John Hart came through the rift thank God, and Ianto wanted to laugh when Gwen punched the man in the face.

Of course then Hart had to mess with him tugging on Ianto's tie, but Ianto just growled and happily gave John a nice roundhouse kick to the chest sending him flying across the roof a good couple of feet.

"What was that about reminding you not to piss off Gwen?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, it should be, remind _us_ not to end up on _your _bad side instead." Owen said honestly.

"That felt fantastic." Ianto said with a chuckle as Hart stood up.

"Alright, I'm done. I've been beaten up enough for one day." Hart grumbled, holding his ribs. "Between a brawl, that crazy teenager, Gwen and eye candy I'm done."

"Call me that again and the next kick will be aimed for your head!" Ianto snapped. He really did hate the name.

"Alright! Alright! Sorry."

Ianto was relieved when Hart finally walked back through the rift, but he had to be honest, he wasn't exactly thrilled when Hart kissed Jack, and it wasn't Jack he was annoyed with, it was the psychopath that he just wanted gone and out of Cardiff forever.

'Now how are we supposed to avoid ourselves for the rest of the night?' he wondered with a headache,

But Jack seemed to have that answer. He had picked a very posh hotel for them to stay at. So Gwen called Rhys, Owen, well they figured he'd be in the bar, since James was out of town doing training exercises with his unit, Stella stayed with Tosh, the two deciding to have a girls night together, and Jack of course stayed with Ianto.

But Ianto knew that they were going to have quite a talk when they reached the room.

"Do I have permission to kill him if he comes back?" Ianto asked as he hung up his coat and took off his shoes.

"Huh? Oh… no, you wouldn't do that Ianto. You're too kindhearted." Jack muttered, sitting on the couch, obviously distracted.

Ianto frowned.

Jack suddenly looked completely beaten and exhausted.

"Did you take a nap earlier like I told you to?" he asked softly, sitting beside him, and gently wrapping an arm around his lover's shoulders.

"Yes." Jack sighed.

"Did you eat?"

"I had a handful of crackers." he admitted.

"Well then maybe we should get something to eat. Will that help you feel better?" he asked, sounding like a mother talking to their child.

"I don't know if it will or not." he said honestly, his shoulders slumping.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or are you not ready yet?" Ianto had seen a little of what Jack had gone through. Stella had taken him to see the year that never was, and to know what had happened to the world, to Jack, in that year, it was heartbreaking.

"Not ready yet." he sighed, leaning against Ianto.

"Alright then, you don't have to talk till you're ready." Ianto said, hugging him tightly. "But I will find a way to make you smile before the night is over, you know that right?"

Jack nodded silently, not looking up and keeping his face buried in Ianto's shirt, his arms wrapped around Ianto's waist.

"Come now Cariad, let's get something to eat, I'm starving and I'm sure you are too."

Jack just nodded again in agreement.

So they ordered room service and ate dinner in almost complete silence.

"So," Ianto sighed after they had finished. "You can't be fixed huh?"

Jack just shook his head. "He said I was wrong. That the universe thought I was wrong." he said, his voice somewhat shaky.

Ianto huffed, "Well that's not exactly nice thing to say. You're not wrong Jack, just…. Very different. If the Doctor thinks you're wrong then he's a down right arse." he said.

He finally heard Jack chuckle softly. "He's a time lord Ianto, he knows everything."

"No, no, no. If he thinks you're wrong then he doesn't know everything." Ianto said sternly. "If you were wrong, then why are you here?"

"Because I'm a fixed point in time. Whatever happens around me can't be changed."

"Well that's a downright lie!" Ianto said, perhaps a little louder then needed, because Jack jumped in surprise. So he softened his voice a little. "If nothing could be changed around you Jack, how do you explain how I changed my own timeline with you in it?"

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but then he paused. "That's….. a very good question."

"Maybe time lords don't know everything." Ianto said with a tiny smile.

"Maybe…. Maybe you're right. Maybe they don't." Jack whispered with a tiny smile. But then he frowned a little. "I still wish I could be fixed."

"Why? Then you would've died a long time ago and I never would have gotten to meet you." Ianto pointed out.

"I know. But….. I wanted to be able to give you a normal life Ianto." Jack sighed. "I wanted to be able to leave Torchwood and have a normal life with you, grow old together. But I should've known that was too much to ask."

Ianto had no idea what to say. He was speechless.

Jack had gone with the Doctor, for Ianto. He wanted to be fixed, because he wanted to be with Ianto and give him a normal life. It was the most anyone had ever done for him.

"Jack…. I…. I really don't know what to say…. I mean…. you went through all of that because you wanted to give me a normal life?"

Jack nodded, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh Jack, I told you I'm fine." Ianto said, pulling Jack close again. "At least you're home." After a moment of silence he gave Jack a gentle kiss and said, "Why don't we get some sleep? I know that we're both exhausted."

Jack just sighed before nodding again, so Ianto stood up and helped Jack to his feet before they moved into the bedroom, stripped down and curled up together.

Ianto had been so exhausted that he fell asleep within a matter of seconds, holding a broken Jack in his arms.

But it wasn't long before he was woken up by Jack's shouts and cries before he found himself on the floor in a tangle of blankets.

Ianto had jumped up and found Jack crying in his sleep, tangling himself up in the sheets as he fought off an invisible attacker. So he climbed back onto the bed and carefully grabbed Jack, whispering in his ear.

"It's alright Jack! Wake up! You're alright, I'm here with you." he said trying to get him to calm down.

Jack settled back down in his sleep, never waking as he let out a heavy sigh.

Ianto had turned to look at the clock, which showed that they had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep. He sighed and curled up against Jack again, praying that the next nightmare wouldn't be for a couple of hours. Then he drifted off to sleep again.

He woke up about four hours later and found that Jack was still asleep. After a moment, he quietly got up trying his best not to disturb Jack, and headed for the bathroom. But just as he was washing his hands, he heard Jack suddenly start calling his name, fear in his voice.

"Ianto? Ianto! Where are you?"

Ianto ran out of the bathroom to find Jack sitting up and searching around frantically. So he quickly jumped up and grabbed Jack from behind., just to be knocked onto the floor again. "Okay! I love you Jack, and I'm sorry you're having nightmares, I really do want to make you feel better, but if you keep knocking me off the bed, we're going to have some serious issues!"

Jack suddenly turned around and let out a relieved sigh. "I'm sorry Ianto, I thought you left." he said apologetically as Ianto stood up and straightened out his boxers.

"I was just in the bathroom." he said, sitting beside Jack. He let out a gasp of surprise when Jack suddenly tackled him and held him tight. "Jack? Are you alright?"

"Just making sure you're still here." he said, burying his face against Ianto's chest.

"Yes Cariad, I'm still here." he sighed, carding his hands through Jack's hair. "I'm not going anywhere. Promise."

"Just making sure. I had the worst nightmare, about loosing you… again."

"It's alright Jack. You're not going to loose me for a while." he said, trying to reassure the man. He sat trying to think of other topics to try and bring Jack out of his terrified state. "So…. What did you think about our new flat? Did you like it?"

Jack looked up, resting his chin on Ianto's sternum, and he smiled a little. "You really did think of me when you picked it." he said.

Ianto smiled. "Yes Jack, we really did think of you." he admitted.

Jack snuggled up close with a smile. "I think it was a wonderful choice. Though I do feel kind of bad considering I don't help pay the rent."

Ianto chuckled. "It's not like you actually live there."

"I might as well." Jack pointed out. "I spend almost every night there, literally."

"This is true." Ianto said thoughtfully. "Though if you really did want to help pay rent I'm sure we could arrange something."

Jack finally laughed a little making Ianto smile, so he decided to keep going. "Like…. Well, we are in need of a new bed."

Jack laughed again. "A new bed?" he asked.

"Hey, when I first moved to Cardiff, that bed was practically brand new, with our little night time escapades, it's not fairing so well anymore. It's gotten squeaky, and somehow one of the legs ended up crooked and worn down so I have to keep a couple of coasters under it to keep the bed even, and some new sheets wouldn't hurt either."

Jack finally gave Ianto that wonderful Jack Harkness grin. "Are you trying to say that the bed's demise is somehow my fault?" he asked.

"How many times have you tackled me?" Ianto questioned.

"How many times have you pounced on me?" Jack retorted making Ianto chuckle.

"Hey, if it weren't for you, I would have no reason to pounce on my bed, let alone be tackled!"

"Fine, then the next time we have a day off together, we'll go shopping for a new bed." Jack huffed, pretending to be annoyed.

But Ianto could hear the humor in his voice, and Jack couldn't quite hide his smile. "A sturdier bed preferably."

"And now you want to be picky about it? Sheesh, what next? Curtain shopping together?"

"Well we could use a nice new set in the living room." Ianto said thoughtfully, playing along.

"I think a bed is enough for now, thank you very much. Though, wait, since we're on the subject of furniture, you could use a new couch. Last time I sat on it, I swear I felt a spring poking at my behind."

"And that bugged you? Really I thought you'd be used to something like that." Ianto laughed.

Jack shot him an incredulous look before grinning wickedly. "Ooh! Who's got the dirty mind now Ianto Jones?" he asked making Ianto laugh even more.

"You're just such a terrible influence on me Jack, I mean, I used to at least have a shred of innocence and dignity, till I worked for Torchwood and met you!"

Jack sat up and crossed his arms against his chest, "First you blame me for your bed, now you're saying it's my fault you've got a dirty mind? You're just playing the blame game here aren't you?"

Ianto sat up with a grin. "I am! Everything from my bed turning wobbly, to the way I've started thinking is all your fault Jack Harkness!"

"And explain to me how I've influenced you're thought process?" Jack inquired, trying to remain serious, but failing miserably.

"Because the thought of shagging a man never crossed my mind, till I crossed paths with you."

"_You're_ the one that kissed me the night we caught Myfanwy." he said.

"That's my point! You're the first!" Ianto said, and with that he leaned into Jack and kissed his lover on the lips before the two tumbled back down into the sheets, kissing passionately. After a few minutes Ianto broke away and smiled. "I told you I'd make you smile before the night was over!"

Jack laughed and kissed Ianto softly. "So you did!" he agreed. "And now we need to make plans for a new bed and a new couch. It's one thing to have you poking me in the arse, but another thing if it's an annoying couch spring."

Ianto laughed at the look on Jack's face, then he pulled Jack in for another kiss and that was all it took before the two were lost to the rest of the world, forgetting everything around them.

.

.

.

A/N: alright, in all honesty, I never really cared for Hart and I always felt that Ianto deserved a shot at him too. Anyway, next chapter is definitely going to be one of my favorite episodes. Love the sleeper episode with Ianto in all his witty glory! But if you guys want that chapter you know what to do! Another review and another chapter, because you guys are why I keep writing!


	47. couches, suits, and sleepers

A/N:okay, sorry I didn't post last night, it was just a really long night. I tried my best, but I don't think this chapter is as good as I had hoped it would be. Maybe it's just because I'm tired so you guys will like it better. But for now, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood... unfortunately.

.

.

.

When Jack woke up the next morning he was happy to find himself laying curled up against Ianto, holding the young man tightly to make sure he didn't disappear.

During the night when he awoke to find Ianto gone he had panicked, suddenly wondering if he was still trapped in his nightmare and Ianto was dead. But when Ianto had grumbled at him after being knocked to the floor, Jack found himself smiling as he let out a sigh of relief.

The playful banter that had escalated the two further confirmed that Jack was home. Though he did agree that Ianto needed a new bed. The springs in the mattress had been worn down till they began to squeak, as for why the leg was crooked, well…. Jack would admit with a blush that it was partially his fault when he felt particularly frisky one night. As for the couch….. There was no spring sticking out, he just didn't like the couch. It's cushions were lumpy, it was a somewhat ugly cream color, and it was a little too short for them to both stretch out comfortably. He wanted a new couch in that flat, even if it meant he was paying for it on top of the new bed.

When they had decided they were done avoiding themselves, Jack decided to let everyone else have the day off as well since there seemed to be no after effects from John Hart's visit, and anything else they could deal with the next morning. Jack wanted to make sure he had a bit more one on one time with the man he loved.

So Jack and Ianto headed home for the day, just to spend the down time together.

After Jack had finished his shower, Ianto had decided to take one as well, so Jack went out into the living room and plopped down on the much disliked couch, just to have something pop up and poke his back.

"What the….?" he growled as he turned around. "Yup, I officially hate this couch!"

"Why's that?"

Jack looked up to see Stella who had obviously gotten home while he was in the shower.

"The spring popped out and poked me in the back!" Jack huffed, standing up and pointing at the offending piece of metal, poking out between the cushion and the back of the couch.

Stella giggled.

"I knew we needed a new couch." he sighed, shaking his head. Then he paused when he saw Stella dressed in jeans and a nice blouse with her hair done up. "And where are you going today?"

"It's Saturday and Daddy said I could have the day off, so I'm going to spend the day in the city center with Tina and Russell."

"Who's Tina and Russell?" he asked with a raised brow, suddenly feeling overprotective of the girl.

"My friends!" she laughed. "Russell was my first friend at school, we just started dating, and Tina's his twin sister!"

"Right…. Has your dad met them?" he inquired.

"Yes daddy's met them. I mean, you're welcome to come along too if you'd like, but shopping with teenagers? I don't think you'd really care much."

"Nah, you're right, I wouldn't. Besides, I promised Ianto some personal time since I was gone for so long." he said honestly. "Then we're going shopping for a new couch."

"That may be a good idea. Anyway, if you want to meet them, they're meeting me here first. Then we're all going together."

"Okay." he said, sitting on a different spot on the couch.

Stella smiled and sat down beside him, "So, how long have you and dad been together?" she asked.

"Good question. The time lines got a bit mixed up. I don't know if I should count the four months, or the year, or…."

"Just count the four months." she said with a smile.

"Well if you add the four, about ten months. Otherwise it's been six. How long have you and Russell been together?"

"Three weeks. But we met when I first started school about three and a half months ago."

"So you've been here for almost four months?"

"About three weeks after you left." Stella confirmed. "so…. If you two have been together so long, and you plan on staying together, wouldn't that kinda make you my dad too?"

Jack started for a moment. He really didn't know how to answer that question. He especially didn't think that he'd find himself acting so fatherly towards the girl in one day, though he figured part of that was because of Ianto. But the fact that he would do anything to keep from loosing Ianto anytime soon, and the fact that Stella was adopted so they could be a family confirmed that she was somewhat right.

"I…. suppose it kinda does." he said with a shrug and a nod. Then he asked the question that some kids would've been uncomfortable with. "You don't mind having two dads?"

Stella looked at him with a raised brow as if to ask what kind of question that was. "You and daddy are alien casers, I help run the cover story, you're an immortal from another planet and I'm a sorceress from another time. Somehow, having two dads is really the least of my worries!"

Jack found himself laughing at her blunt but truthful explanation. "I suppose you have a point there." he agreed. "But what would you call me? You can't call us both dad, we'd get confused."

"I'll call you Tad!"

He smiled. "I've never been called Tad before. But wouldn't it make more sense to call Ianto, Tad since he's the Welshman of the two of us?"

"I call him daddy, but we'll ask when he get's out of the shower." she said with a smile.

"Alright then. We'll ask Ianto."

After a few minutes Ianto walked into the living room, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt as he rubbed his head with a towel, trying to dry his hair.

"When are Tina and Russell getting here Stella?" he asked the girl.

"In about fifteen minutes." she said, looking at her watch. "Anyway, we were wondering if you could figure something out for us."

Ianto looked at the two suspiciously. "Alright. What?"

"We can't figure out who Stella should call dad, and who she should call Tad." Jack said. "I say she should call you Tad, since it's Welsh and you're the Welshman in the family."

Ianto smiled and chuckled as he shook his head. "I'll be Tad, you can be dad."

"There see, I told you that made sense." Jack said turning to look at her with a smile.

"Alright, Tad and dad it is then." Stella sighed with a grin.

"Then it's settled." agreed Ianto. "Now then, do you have your wallet?"

"Yes sir." she said reaching into her purse and holding it up.

"Your ID in your wallet?"

"Yup."

"Your phone?"

"Ye…. Nope. Whoops." she said, digging through her purse, then she stood up and ran into her room, making the two laugh.

Ianto walked over to Jack before leaning down and kissing him. "Look at that, you actually have a daughter that you can keep in touch with." he said softly with a smile.

"You must have known that we'd get along well together." Jack replied with a grin.

"Absolutely. I told you, she's like both of us put together." he agreed. But then he frowned. "Jack! What did you do? I know you didn't like this couch, but really?"

"I didn't do that on purpose I swear!" Jack said. "I just sat down and it popped out and poked me in the back."

Ianto gave him a disbelieving look.

"Seriously Ianto, I swear I did not just purposely pull the spring out of the couch!" he said in defense.

"He didn't Tad, he just sat down and jumped up, growling at the couch." said Stella walking out of her bedroom.

"There! See? I told you I didn't purposely ruin that couch even though I don't like it."

Ianto sighed and shook his head. "Fine, if you say so." he muttered.

"Weren't we going to go look at new couches anyway?" he asked.

"Well, I suppose now we don't have much of a choice, Jack."

Jack sighed, not sure if Ianto was believing him or not. It was moments like this that Ianto's occasionally stoic personality could confuse him to no end. So he plopped back down on another end of the couch.

Just to have something sharp suddenly poke him in the back again.

"Ah! See! See! I told you it wasn't my fault!" he cried, jumping up and pointing at the second protruding spring that had appeared where he had been sitting.

Ianto just starred. "Seriously? Okay, this couch isn't that old. I mean, it's not exactly expensive, but two years it should've lasted longer." he grumbled, "Alright then, I'm sorry Jack, you were right. The couch needs to go."

"Yay! I was right!" he said cheerfully, hopping around like a child.

"God, it's like trying to raise a teenager and an adolescent in this family." Ianto sighed.

"Who's the kid?" Jack asked, obviously oblivious to the comment.

"You Jack. You can be so childish for someone your age."

Jack frowned. "I'm not childish!" he huffed petulantly.

"Yeah you are dad." said Stella with a smile making Jack frown even more.

But before Jack could respond the door bell rang signaling that Stella's friends were there.

Jack left with Ianto shortly after meeting Stella's friends and he had to admit, furniture shopping was…. Well, easier then he had expected considering how Ianto was so picky about coordination. He had actually let Jack pick out the couch, so Jack had tried his best to pick something he liked that relatively matched the décor to make Ianto proud. They had gotten a bigger bed with very sturdy heavy bedposts to avoid the new frame falling victim to the same fate as the last bed.

But through the day, even as they stopped and had lunch together, Jack found himself enjoying such domestic activities. There was one thing that kept nagging at his mind though. He remembered back to when Ianto had told him how he had changed his own timeline, and apparently part of Jack's as well, meaning that there was some falsehood to the Doctor telling him that he was a fixed point and that nothing around him could be changed.

While Jack found himself wondering, just what their lives would have been like if Ianto hadn't have changed his life, he agreed with his lover in thinking that they probably weren't near as happy as they had become in this timeline. Maybe the other Jack spent his nights alone at the hub instead of sharing a warm bed with someone that made him enjoy his life, even if it wouldn't last forever.

But despite his thoughts Jack kept himself smiling and cheerful, enjoying his day out, a rarity when he'd worked for Torchwood for so long. They had even passed by Stella and her friends and Jack watched from a distance as the teens smiled over towards them before going back to their conversation over school gossip. Proof that Stella really didn't care that she had two dads, let alone if they were seen just holding hands in public. Of course Jack figured Ianto didn't spot them, he was too busy looking at something in a shop mirror.

That night dinner felt normal as the three of them sat at the dinner table together talking about the new couch, or what was going on in their lives together. To Jack, it felt like his life was quickly falling into some form of routine and he was suddenly debating on someday leaving Torchwood to keep his new found family safe. But for now, he'd take curling up with Ianto in bed, after saying goodnight to Stella, and eventually falling asleep.

Jack woke up with a gasp and a cry of fear as he shot up when he felt something unfamiliar touching his face.

"Calm down now, it's just me!" came a hushed voice.

Jack turned to see Ianto still sleeping somehow, then he turned his head the other way and looked down to see a long grey snout resting in his lap. "Aldair?"

"Are you alright?" the anteater asked sincerely.

"I'm….. I'm alright. You just…. You woke me, that's all." he sighed heavily. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to say hello I suppose."

Jack let out another sigh before looking at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to him. It was almost time to get up anyway

"I see you boys bought a new bed. A little too rough and rowdy with the other one were you?" Aldair asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Jack just shot the anteater an annoyed look. "Seriously, what are you doing here?"

"Tara was trying to put clothes on me last night." he grumbled, swaying his nose from side to side.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Did she succeed?" he asked.

"Of course not! I don't know why she bothers," Aldair sighed as Jack threw back the covers. "I personally enjoy walking around in the nude….. Well as nude as I can be with fur. And I see you do that too!"

Jack actually found himself blushing for once at his lack of clothing, which normally never bothered him.

"I'm three hundred years old Jack, it's not like I've never seen a naked human before. Normally I'd be the one that would have to poke Ianto to wake him after he'd fallen asleep in the shower."

Jack suddenly found himself chuckling. "Ianto falls asleep in the shower?"

"Well he used to, I don't know if he does now."

Just then they heard a soft grumbling from the bed as Ianto stirred awake with a yawn before stretching.

"Hey Ianto, is it true you used to fall asleep in the shower?" Jack asked with a smile.

Ianto gave him a confused sleepy look and Jack couldn't help but think, 'He's adorable when he's half asleep.'

"Where on earth did you hear that?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"Aldair told me he used to have to poke you awake when you'd fall asleep in the shower."

Ianto turned on the anteater. "Aldair! What are you even doing here?"

"Apparently he was escaping Tara and her desire to play dress up with him." Jack chuckled.

Ianto growled and threw his pillow, hitting the anteater in the face. "Go on, out into the living room!"

"Well fine! Be that way! I'll go wake up the girl!" Aldair huffed angrily before walking out of the room.

"So, did you really fall asleep in the shower?" Jack asked with a smile as he closed the bedroom door.

"Yes, and I'm about to go take a nap in the shower since you two woke me up." Ianto sighed standing up.

"Hey! I was up first!" Jack protested as Ianto beat him to the bathroom. But Jack ended up with the door shut in his face as he heard the shower start running. Jack let out a heavy sigh. He wasn't going to be deterred that easily. So after a couple of minutes he quietly entered the bathroom to find Ianto and Aldair had been telling the truth.

Ianto was sitting on the shower floor, leaning against the tiled wall with his arms wrapped around his knees, obviously asleep.

Jack found himself smiling a little. "How on earth did he fall asleep in there?" he wondered. But then he shook his head and decided to try himself, so he quietly got into the shower and moved Ianto just enough to sit beside him, back against the wall as he pulled the dozing Welshman into his lap.

After about five minutes he felt Ianto wake with a start and he chuckled softly.

"What are you doing Jack?" Ianto asked softly, without looking up.

"I figured I'd at least join you so I don't have to take a cold shower when the water runs out." he said with a smile, gently kissing the top of Ianto's head.

Ianto let out a quiet laugh. "Alright then. I suppose we should both actually get clean then. We've got to work today." he yawned.

So the two quietly showered before drying off and going out into the bedroom to get dressed.

Jack decided he wanted to wear his light blue shirt since he hadn't in over a year. It made him feel like life was finally normal and the year that never was, was slowly fading away to nothing more then a terrible dream, and while he was far from feeling completely at peace about it, each night he would have one less nightmare.

When Ianto walked out of the closet wearing his new suit with the red shirt and matching ensemble Jack found his mouth watering, just like it had when he first imagined Ianto in the suit.

"Are you going to sit and drool all day Jack?" Ianto asked, straightening his waist coat and buttoning the jacket.

"You definitely make me want to say, forget work let's just stay home." he said, wrapping his arm around Ianto's waist and pulling him close before he could finish buttoning up the jacket. "As much as I love you in this suit, I'd love to take it off you."

Ianto chuckled and shook his head as Jack gently fingered the black and red silk tie. "Not right now, work first. Then we'll see about later alright?"

Jack smiled. "Sounds like a deal." he said, standing back so he could finish putting on his braces.

Most of the day went by slowly, Jack was at least given his desk back as Ianto retreated to his desk in the archives. But he found that Ianto was only giving him files to go over from while he was gone, and even then, only a few at a time.

But after a while Jack finally realized what Ianto was doing. It was obvious he was giving Torchwood back to Jack, but only a little bit at a time, as if to ease him back into everything, and for that Jack was grateful. In the middle of the day though Jack got a little bored, so he went through his desk drawers and pulled out his little yellow tin before digging for his list of rules.

This time though, he found more notes in Ianto's neat script placed beside his own scribbles.

Use your mind to do great things, (I like to think that I've tried! Does hiring Ianto count as a great thing?) (no, hiring me does not count, but you do use your mind to do great things, like opening flat holm for rift survivors.)

Use your heart to do things even greater. (Like…. Love Ianto!) (I am thrilled you count loving me as using your heart to do great things, but how about…. Taking in strays like me or Myfanwy or even Janet?)

Find peace (I have found peace. I'm especially at peace when Ianto cuddles with me!) (I suppose that means cuddling with you solves more problems then I thought, I will be sure to continue with that.)

Be happy. (I've got Ianto! That's all I need to be happy because he always makes me happy!) (and I will always do my best to make you happy, I promise!)

And know that you are always loved. (Of course I know that! Ianto loves me! He said so! That's why he calls me Cariad!) (Yes Cariad, I love you very, very much, and don't you ever forget that!)

Jack couldn't help but smile. After reading the list one last time, he put it away and got up to go find Ianto in the archives. Of course it didn't take him long to find Ianto working diligently at his desk, so he quietly walked up and wrapped his arms around Ianto's neck from behind, just like the young man had done to him several times. He placed a gentle kiss on the side of Ianto's head, then continued to hold him.

"Are you feeling alright Jack?" Ianto asked slowly. "You didn't destroy something did you?"

"Promise I didn't." he said with a smile.

"Then….."

"I found your little notes on the rule list." he said softly. He felt Ianto shake slightly as he chuckled.

"You did, did you?"

"Yup, and it just reminded me of how much I loved you." he said honestly. "So I figured I'd just come down and let you know."

"Thank you Jack."

After one last kiss Jack headed back upstairs just in time to hear about an unusual robbery.

Yes, he was definitely home, and most certainly ready to get back to field operations.

But as they dealt with Beth the sleeper agent, Jack found that Ianto suddenly had a very witty side to him that he didn't normally show around the others.

Like after Jack had finished interrogating Beth, he found Ianto teasing him.

"Just us, in this room, for as long as it takes. Terrifying." Ianto had said with a straight face.

"Really?" Jack had asked him hopefully.

"Absolutely, shivers down my spine."

"You don't look scared." he pointed out.

"Oh, it….. Passed."

Jack had growled when he had realized Ianto was teasing. 'Cheeky bastard.' he thought as Ianto smirked at him. 'I will definitely get him back for that!'

But instead he found Ianto razzing him about the mind probe causing people's heads to explode, and then Gwen actually set Ianto up for another one when Beth had made a comment about his bedside manners being atrocious.

"You should see his manners in bed." she had said. "They're atrocious, apparently, so I've heard."

'How would she…..?' he wondered then he heard Ianto say, "Oh they are, I remember this one time…."

So Jack cleared his throat loudly, but he didn't miss the gleeful smile on Ianto's face. He did enjoy the annoyed look on Ianto's face though when they realized just how much the sleeper agents knew. While it wasn't exactly a good thing, Ianto's reaction was priceless.

"They know more about this place then I do!" he grumbled, pounding the table with his fist. "Nobody knows more then I do!"

The rest of the day, while trying to save the world, Jack found himself trying to find ways to get Ianto back for his sudden snark. So as he taped the antenna to the mirror he couldn't help but think, 'I wonder how Ianto's going to react to tape on the wing mirror.'

Of course, later when he saw the look of pure anger on Ianto's face from that and he realized he probably should have figured out something else because that was usually the kind of look Ianto would give Jack when he intended for the punishment to involve leaving Jack sex deprived for a while. Which meant he wouldn't get to strip that fantastic suit off of his lover later.

In the end Jack found himself feeling weary as they headed home together.

It had been a long day. Beth had fought to keep her humanity, but in the end she knew that she had to die to keep the world safe. Gwen had been taken hostage….. .AGAIN! 'Damn it Gwen!' he kept thinking. He had died once, had suffered Ianto's wrath for the tape on the wing mirror. It had just been a very long day and he was glad that Stella was spending the night at Tina and Russell's so that he could just spend some time resting with Ianto.

Later that night Jack had found himself sitting on the couch, in the same position they had sat in several months ago in Ianto's old bedroom in California, Jack's feet resting on the coffee table, Ianto stretched out beside him on the couch, his head in Jack's lap. But this time, Ianto was nursing a mug of coffee that was resting on his chest as Jack gently massaged his temples, trying to ease the young man's headache.

"Don't ever put tape on the mirror again, got that Jack?" Ianto mumbled, his eyes closed.

"I'm sorry. By the way, how would Gwen know what my manners are like in bed?" he asked.

Ianto chuckled softly. "It kind of came up when we all went to the pub after work." he said with a tiny smile. "We were all a little tipsy, and suddenly Tosh asked me what you were like in bed, so I told her that your manners in bed were like your everyday manners, relatively atrocious."

Jack let out a huff of indignation. "I'm not always that bad."

"No, you're not Cariad. I think I just had a little too much to drink that night so I said the first thing that came to mind." Ianto said honestly.

"You're a cheeky bastard sometimes, you know that right?"

"Yes sir, thank you sir for noticing." he said with a smile.

"Don't go imitating Gareth now." Jack grumbled.

"I know I'm a cheeky bastard, I'm a pain in the ass too, but that's for entirely different reasons."

"Hoo, where is all of this coming from all of the sudden Ianto Jones?" he asked, wondering why Ianto's mind had suddenly gotten to the point that he was giving Jack a run for his money.

"I told you Jack, you are a terrible influence on me. Though you're bad cop routine really does need some work. You're getting better, but it needs some work."

"Are you offering to practice with me?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Maybe tomorrow night. For now, my head still hurts, so I think I'm going to take some migraine medication and just lay down till I fall asleep." Ianto said, slowly getting up.

Jack frowned a little before getting up and following Ianto into the bedroom where he just stripped down and climbed into the bed.

It wasn't long before Ianto joined him, curling up against Jack's chest with a sleepy yawn. "Night Jack, I love you." he whispered.

Jack smiled as Ianto quickly drifted off to sleep. "Good night Ianto. I love you too." he said, gently kissing Ianto's cheek and holding him tightly. Then he drifted off to sleep, hoping he didn't have any nightmares that would wake up the peaceful Welshman.

.

.

.

A/N: like I said, sorry if it wasn't that great, I was trying. But for now, just leave a little review letting me know what you thought and I'll try and get the next chapter up in a more timely fashion!


	48. I'm running low on titles again Sorry

A/N: hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in the last few days. I've just been really tired and I kinda lost my momentum on the story for a bit. But I'm back! So I hope you guys still like this.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Torchwood.

.

.

.

Over the next couple of weeks Ianto felt himself being lured into a sense of unusual security. Life seemed normal. Stella was in school, and Ianto regularly saw her friends, Russell had even taken to helping Stella run the tourist office after school, never really knowing just what was underneath his feet but figuring he really didn't need to know. Jack was home and he made a decent father for Stella, but a very overprotective one. He had also been given almost total reign of Torchwood again. But Ianto still ran things behind him. Tosh was happy with James, Owen was still going out on the pull, and occasionally Gwen would actually listen to Jack and go home to Rhys.

"Yup, life is as average as it's going to get for me." Ianto told himself with a smile as he worked down in the archives.

"Ianto? Hey, Ianto?"

"I'm over here behind the shelves Tosh!" Ianto called to her.

Within a few seconds Tosh was standing beside him smiling. "Hey! What are you up to?" she asked.

"My usual filing." he shrugged.

"Right. So, what are we going to do about Tommy? He wakes up tomorrow doesn't he?" she inquired referring to their frozen soldier from 1918.

"Yes, I believe he does." Ianto agreed, remembering the date in his mind. "You're frozen 'little brother' of sorts yeah?"

"Little brother? Yeah, I do sort of act like that don't I?" Tosh asked with a smile.

Ianto chuckled softly. "You two have quite a bond for only seeing each other one day a year." he pointed out.

"Well look at Jack and Stella, they've gotten close and Jack's barely been home a month." Tosh pointed out.

"This…. Is true." Ianto agreed with a nod. "So, what are you going to do with Tommy tomorrow?"

"I don't know. But he does enjoy being out in the fresh air." she admitted. "I was talking to James about him. James said I should take him to lunch, then take him for a nice long walk in the park."

"I'm sure Tommy would enjoy actually being out and about. One day a year just doesn't seem like enough really."

"No, I suppose it doesn't." she agreed.

"Anyway, how are you and James doing?" Ianto asked.

"We were…. Talking about stuff last night." she shrugged.

Ianto raised a brow. "Talking…. About….?" he paused, not sure where she was going.

"Just stuff." she shrugged again.

"Come now Tosh, you can talk to me about almost anything, you know that." he pointed out, putting another file on the shelf.

"About…. Maybe…. Marriage…. Or something." she faded off in the end, causing Ianto to pause as he reached up towards another shelf.

Ianto was somewhat surprised. He knew that Tosh and James had been getting close but not that close. He turned to face her. "Just talking about it, or…."

"Just talking." she said, blushing.

"If he asked you, what would you say?" Ianto asked softly.

"I…. might say yes. I'm leaning towards yes." she said slowly.

"So then…. Who would be giving up their career?"

"I would." she said without hesitation. "I'd move to the states with him. This is just hypothetical for now of course."

Ianto nodded slowly. "Okay, do you want to? Do you mean that? Or is that just what you two decided?"

"He offered to stay here so I could stay with Torchwood." she said. "But…. I don't know….. It's one of those things where you can't help but think, would I want to raise a family knowing I could be killed by a rouge weevil tomorrow?"

"I think that every day." Ianto said honestly. "But for me, I wonder if I would know how to survive in the civilian world these days. You, well, maybe you've been here long enough that you'd revel in a normal life. What about Owen?"

"Owen…. I don't think Owen would ever come around. I haven't tried to ask him, but….. I think I was done playing the waiting game anyway. Maybe Owen can find a girl better suited to his materialistic lifestyle as opposed to me and my simplistic one." she shrugged.

"James can be gone for months at a time, you know that right?"

"I do. But I trust him going after a bunch of terrorists, as opposed to me going out to fight whatever creature the rift decides to spit out that may eat me."

Ianto shook his head with a tiny chuckle. "This is true." he agreed. "But for now, we'll just take each day as it comes along alright?"

Tosh smiled. "Agreed. Though you know what? That really would make me your sister wouldn't it? I'd be your sister in law!" she giggled.

Ianto laughed a little. "Toshiko Midnightstar. Well… it's not the strangest name I've heard." he admitted.

"James told me his last name used to be Zerponopolis."

Ianto found himself laughing. "It was quite a name. I remembered when he first moved in, and told me what his name was I looked at him and went, 'You're name is what?' Of course then he just kinda glared at me. He wasn't a very happy teen when he moved in. A bit 'emo' if you ask me."

This time Tosh laughed. "Another term I never thought I'd hear you say." she said.

Just then they heard heavy footsteps approach.

"What are you two laughing about?" Jack asked, appearing behind Tosh.

"We're joining Kit and Tara on their plan for world domination." Ianto deadpanned.

"Yup." Tosh agreed with a straight face.

"Seriously! It's always the quiet ones you've gotta watch out for!" Jack sighed.

"I am in no way quiet Jack Harkness!" Ianto said with a smile.

"Good point." Jack muttered. "You proved that last night. Good thing Stella wasn't home."

Ianto suddenly flushed bright red as Tosh giggled. He elbowed Jack hard in the ribs. "And you call me a smart arse!" he shot back.

"So, what were you two really talking about?" Jack asked with a chuckle, putting an arm around Ianto's shoulders.

"Private matters." Tosh said.

"Right." Jack muttered.

"Anyway, I've got to go check on my latest project, I'll leave you two be." she said, then she left.

Jack moved his arm to wrap it around Ianto's waist as he gently kissed the nape of Ianto's neck. "What's gotten into you?" he asked softly.

"Meaning what exactly?" he asked, turning in Jack's arm to continue filing. He felt Jack wrap his other arm around his waist as well while he rested his chin on Ianto's shoulder.

"What were you two talking about?" he asked curiously.

"Tosh and James became a lot closer then I expected." Ianto said honestly. "They were actually talking about marriage. Of course, Tosh said it was hypothetical, but….. She said if they ever did, she'd leave and move to the states with him."

Jack tensed a little, obviously surprised himself. But then he relaxed and Ianto felt him shake slightly as he chuckled. "Maybe it's best. Tosh has served her five years. She deserves a nice life. Owen apparently just missed his chance." he said with a shrug.

Ianto was amazed at Jack's reaction. "You think?"

"Maybe so. But we'll just have to see what happens. Take each day one at a time, that's what you're always telling me. So that's what we'll do."

"Right." Ianto agreed. He turned round and gave Jack a small but gentle kiss on the lips. "Now then, you better be down here because you finished your last batch of paperwork sir."

Jack let out a heavy sigh. "No!" he grumbled, then he headed upstairs to finish his paperwork leaving Ianto to chuckle as he shook his head and returned to his work.

After that the days got a bit normal again. The next day they had woken Tommy up and Ianto had ordered breakfast for everyone.

Ianto had found it quite amusing when Tommy had accidentally smacked Owen in the face. Just like the year before.

Tosh had taken Tommy out for the day making sure he got plenty of fresh air.

Ianto on the other had got stuck trying to explain everything to Gwen. But when she asked what the Torchwood team was like in 1918 he offered to show her the pictures in the archives.

But in the end thinking about how young Harriet Derbyshire and Gerald Carter were when they died, it just reminded him more about the fact that he really was going to die young working for Torchwood. In the end though, he decided he needed to pull himself out of his brooding and go talk to Jack as Gwen decided to go check out St. Teilo's hospital, telling him to cheer up.

"Are you alright Ianto?" Jack asked when he showed up in the boardroom.

"Just…. Trying to get out of my melancholy mood I suppose." he shrugged. "I was reminded of how young most Torchwood agents are when they die. Gwen and I were looking at the pictures of Harriet and Gerald."

Jack stood up and walked over to hug him. "Don't worry so much." he said, gently kissing the top of his head.

"I know. But sometimes you just can't help it." Ianto sighed, feeling comforted in Jack's embrace.

Jack leaned back and gave him a soft kiss making him smile a little. "Better?"

"A bit." he said with a nod. "Thank you Jack." After that he headed back down to the archives. But then Gwen had called saying that something strange was going on at the hospital.

After a brief visit involving some very strange happenings, it turned out that the future time Tommy was needed was happening at that moment, and Tosh ended up involved as well.

Ianto could tell that Jack felt somewhat torn because he knew Tommy's fate in the past. He didn't like knowing that he was sending such a nice young man to his death. Ianto figured that it was probably one of the reasons why he let Tommy go home with Tosh for the night. So he could have one last moment of freedom.

After hiding in the archives for a while, Ianto decided to go find Jack who had been acting abnormally quiet after everyone else had left for the night.

"By this time tomorrow he'll be back in 1918." Jack said, not turning around as Ianto quietly walked into the office.

"Back in his own time." Ianto said softly. Then he voiced a question he had been wondering for a long time. "Would you go back to yours if you could?"

"Why? Would you miss me?" Jack as with a tiny smile, obviously attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yup." was all Ianto could say as he walked towards the desk.

"I left home a long time ago. Time wise I don't really know where I belong. But maybe that doesn't matter anymore."

"I uh…. I know you get lonely sometimes." Ianto admitted, sitting on the corner of the desk.

Jack closed Tommy's file and looked up at him. "Going home wouldn't fix that Ianto." He then looked down at his hands and shook his head. "Being here, I've seen things I never dreamt I'd see, loved people I never would have known if I just stayed where I was."

Ianto nodded, but stayed quiet. But then he felt intense emotion hit him and he looked up to see Jack watching him closely.

"And I wouldn't change that for the world. I never would have met you otherwise Ianto."

Ianto knew that Jack was being truthful about it and it warmed his heart to hear it. Before another thought could cross his mind, he grabbed the back of Jack's neck, pulling him in for passionate kiss. After a moment of obvious surprise he felt Jack return the kiss, gently rubbing Ianto's shoulders as Ianto held his lover's face in his hands.

After a moment they broke apart and smiled, slightly breathless. "Let's go home Jack. It's late and we'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Jack just nodded, so the two of them stood up and left the hub together hand in hand.

The next day, Tosh and Tommy both did as they were supposed to, and everything was set right again.

As Ianto folded and put away Tommy's clothes, Tosh came in and volunteered to do it for him.

"Tommy was very brave Tosh, and so were you." Ianto said, gently patting her shoulder.

"I know." Tosh sighed. "Even James was a little disappointed to see him leave this morning. The two of them got along quite well together."

"I imagine they did." Ianto agreed. "Look, why don't you take the rest of the day off Tosh. You look like you could use some time to think."

Tosh smiled a little. "Who's in charge now? Jack? Or are you still running the show behind his back?"

Ianto chuckled softly. "A bit of both." he admitted. "Why? Don't like me as a leader that much?"

"I never said that." Tosh said honestly. "Better you then Gwen. Or even Owen. You're unbiased and fair. That's what made you a great leader Ianto."

"Thanks Tosh."

"And if that's the case, then yes, I will take the rest of the day off."

Ianto smiled. "You do that then." he said. Then he chuckled as he remembered something Jack had asked him the night before. "Last night Jack asked me where you were going to have Tommy sleep with James there. Be honest, how long have you and James been sharing your bed?"

Tosh blushed but giggled. "We started sharing my bed about a month after he moved in." she admitted. "So Tommy slept in the spare room last night. James and Tommy actually played video games together last night for a little while."

Ianto found himself chuckling softly. "Tommy learned how to play video games did he?"

"He beat James in that Mario racing game. James was so surprised that he pulled Tommy into a headlock and gave him a noogie, then the two wrestled their way off the couch and onto my floor, laughing their heads off. Tommy and James act like you and Tim."

"Tommy would have made a great brother." Ianto said honestly, still somewhat sad to see the young man go.

After Tommy's things were packed, Tosh left for the day and the rest of the team returned to their daily routines.

But down in the archives Ianto found himself somewhat distracted feeling somewhat bad for Tosh since it wasn't everyday she found such a close friend. So he decided to make a call and see just what happened to Tommy.

"You want me to look someone up for you?" Alistair asked on the other end of the line, obviously grouchy. "Ianto, it's six in the morning on my day off!"

"Please Alistair. It's not really for me, it's for Tosh."

He heard Alistair let out a heavy sigh and the squeak of a mattress as the giant obviously got up from his bed.

"You owe me for this little brother." he grumbled.

Ianto found himself smiling as Alistair continued to grumble while he made his way up to the office in his house. Then he heard Angelica's voice.

"Alright, who are we trying to find?"

"Thomas Reginald Brockless. He died in 1918."

"Right." there was the loud sound of pages flying as Alistair let out a heavy yawn. "Here we are, Tommy Reginald Brockless. Good Lord, you lot keep the poor boy on ice long enough?"

"Not my choice obviously." Ianto said.

"Well anyway, Thomas was killed, executed for being a coward, stupid moral codes of the day I suppose."

Ianto let out a heavy sigh. So Jack had been right.

"But he was given a second chance for heroics, saving humanity and all that. He's sixteen right now. A ward of your dear Uncle Conner. Apparently his parents had died, bringing back the shell shock from his former life, they were going to put him into psychiatric care, so Conner took him in."

"So Tommy became my cousin?" he asked with a smile.

"Tommy is your cousin. So, is that all you needed to know?"

"That's all I needed to know. Is his name still Tommy?"

"Yup. He might remember Tosh if he saw her."

"Maybe so. Anyway, I best get back to work, I'll let you go back to sleep."

"Next time, wait till it's at least lunch time please?"

Ianto laughed. "If it's your day off, you're usually still asleep around lunch time."

"Good point. Make it dinner time then."

After saying goodbye Ianto looked at his watch and decided it was late enough to head home. So he headed up to Jack's office feeling a bit more cheerful then when he went down to the archives.

After that the rift just continued to get a little worse. The days just continued to get longer and longer and then Rhys ended up involved on day when one of his trucks crashed and they had discovered that the meat it was carrying was alien.

For Ianto he felt as if the day would never end. Rhys got mixed up with them all, Gwen got ridiculously defensive and flirtatious all at once with Jack annoying Ianto greatly. Rhys had gotten shot, and Ianto had come dangerously close to it. Gwen had decided she didn't want to retcon Rhys and she argued until she got her way.

That night, Ianto was more then content to just eat some rice and eggs for dinner before curling up in the bed, ignoring everything around him and letting Jack curl up beside him to make him feel safe as he drifted off to sleep.

Weeks like that, were weeks that he wished he could just leave Torchwood and find himself living a normal life.

.

.

.

A/N: I felt Tommy deserved a bit of a reward for being so brave, so I gave him another chance. And I'm leaning more towards Tosh and James since a lot more people seem to agree that Tosh deserves a nice life. But don't worry! I'm not going to be totally mean to Owen! I have something nice for him too! Anyway, you know what to do! Leave a review and I'll leave you another chapter!


	49. It deals with Adam anyway kinda

A/N: okay, I thought you guys deserved a second chapter today for being so patient, and I made sure it was a nice long one too! My longest yet! This one took me a while and I really had fun with this idea. But just so you guys know, it's a bit different from other chapters. We've got a bit of Stella's POV, some Ianto POV, and Jack's too of course. But I wanted Stella to show how see saw 'Adam' and the way everyone was acting. So I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood I wouldn't have to write a disclaimer would I?

.

.

.

"So tell me love, what is our history project going to be on?" Russell asked Stella with a smile as the two walked hand in hand across the plass towards the tourist office.

"Good question." she muttered.

The two were heading to work in the tourist office for the afternoon, bringing lunch for the rest of the team.

"WWII we should probably ask Dad for help." she pointed out.

"Does Mr. Harkness know about WWII?" Russell asked.

"Absolutely." she told him with a smile.

Russell just chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Your family is really out there Stella."

"This coming from the psychic that can read minds!" she giggled.

"Yes! This coming from the psychic that can read minds to the point that I know what you crave for lunch!" he laughed back, but with an attempt at a serious face.

"Come on then, let's get the food to everyone. They get grumpy when they're hungry. In all honesty I'm amazed that they decided to wait till we got out of school to pick up their food."

"Well at least I was getting hungry again anyway." Russell shrugged as they arrived at the tourist office.

Stella opened the door and walked inside as they set the bags down on the counter.

Russell walked behind the counter and pushed the button so that the door opened as Stella took their food out of the bags.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she said with a smile as the picked up the remaining containers of Chinese food. Then she headed down to the hub. "Alright! Food's here!" she called and suddenly everyone rushed to the board room.

"How was school today Stella?" Ianto asked, coming to give her a hug.

"It was just fine. Russell and I have a history project that's due Friday though."

"Well I'm sure if you ask Jack you can leave a bit early so you two can work on it." he said, taking the bags from her.

"Coffee Tad?" she asked.

"That would be fantastic. Thank you dear." he said, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then he headed up to the boardroom with everyone else.

Stella watched after him. Something felt off. She was debating on asking Ianto why he told her to ask Jack, because normally he had enough authority to do so. But instead she just shrugged and went to the kitchen to make coffee. After she had the tray full of four cups of coffee she headed up to the boardroom.

"Stella, you forgot Adam's food." Owen said.

Stella paused. Who was Adam? "The only Adam I know is Adam Vanalderwherlt from my English class." she told them. That's when she saw the new man sitting at the table. "Who the hell are you?" she blurted out.

"Stella! Watch your language." Ianto chided.

"Sorry, let me rephrase that. Who the heck are you?" she asked the man.

"Stella, that's Adam, don't you remember Adam?" Jack asked.

"No! No I most certainly do not!" she said defensively. The new man was smiling at her and it was making her feel uneasy.

"He's been with us for years Stella." said Tosh.

It was then that Stella noticed that Tosh and Owen appeared to have changed roles. Suddenly Tosh was dressing somewhat provocatively and Owen was shy and quiet.

"Okay, then explain to me where he's been for the last five months since I've been here!" she argued.

"Come on Stella, you know me. I've been here this whole time." Adam said, reaching towards here.

"Ah! Stay back! Stay away from me!" she said, backing away and getting ready to snap her fingers.

Everyone starred as Stella kept away from him.

"If you've been here, tell me, when was I born?" she protested. Everyone knew when she was born and that her records in the computers lied.

Adam let out a tiny scoff and a smile, "That's easy. You were born October 31st."

"What year?" she inquired.

"1994."

"Wrong!"

"Everyone knows that Stella was born in 1732 Adam." Jack said looking at the man strangely.

"Well I guess I was told wrong." he shrugged. He took another step towards Stella.

"One more step and I swear I will snap my fingers!" she threatened.

"Now Stella, calm down." Ianto said trying to move towards her.

"No! I don't know who this guy is but he wasn't here yesterday!"

"Yes he was Stella." said Owen.

"No, no he wasn't. And you stay back!" she warned the man named Adam again.

"I'm not going to hurt you Stella. I'm a friend."

"Uh uh. Tad told me don't talk to strangers. You're a stranger! I'm not talking to you!" she snapped.

"Come on Stella, you know Adam. He's been here for three years." said Tosh.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked skeptically.

"Because Tosh and Adam have been dating for a year." said Gwen.

At that Stella faltered. "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!" she cried. "You've been with Uncle James for the last seven months! He's stationed in Hereford! He lives with you Tosh! He's gone for the week doing training exercises up north! And if you guys keep looking at me like I've gone nuts then I'm going home! I'm not coming back till that man is gone! You're welcome for your lunch by the way."

Stella moved to walk out of the room.

"Stella come on, don't be so rash." Jack said.

"I don't think that's going to work dad." she said. She jumped when Adam took a step towards her, blocking her exit. "Get out of my way mister!" she growled.

"Stella, are you really gonna act that way towards me?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"Get out of my way, or you will regret it! I will snap my fingers!"

"and what's that going to do?" he chuckled.

It was then that she realized he had no idea what she was. So she decided for a different approach.

"I'm warning you, back away." she said.

But instead he reached towards her and Stella placed a well aimed kick between his legs making him drop to the floor.

"Russell and I are leaving!" she snapped at everyone who seemed shocked. "I bid you all good day!" And with that she quickly stormed out of the board room and ran to the cog door, quickly making her way to the tourist office. "Come on Russell, we're going home."

Russell, who was in the middle of eating, paused, his food falling off of his fork.

"What happened love?" he asked, worriedly as she put her food back in the bag and put on her coat.

"Just come on, I'll explain on the way home." she sighed.

So Russell packed up his food and they closed down the tourist office and headed up to the plass.

"Care to explain Stella?" Russell asked taking her hand.

"There's something very weird going on Russ." Stella told him. "There's a weird guy named Adam, and everyone's claiming that he's been working here for three years. I've never met the guy before, he's very touchy feely too. Tosh and Owen seemed to have changed personalities, Tosh claimed she's been dating this Adam guy for a year!"

"Well that's bollocks! She's been with your Uncle James hasn't she? We've spent time with them together!"

"My point exactly. But everyone just keeps acting like I'm nuts! I'm not going back till the guy is gone Russ. And I mean that!"

"Well if the guy messes with you, let me know and I'll personally deck him! Even if it means actually going downstairs to find him then being forced to take that amnesia pill thingy because I did so! Nobody messes with my girl." he said hugging her defensively.

Stella couldn't help but laugh. "I can defend myself, but I will gladly let you get in a hit or two to defend your tough defensive boyfriend status." she said, kissing his cheek.

"Alright then. It's settled. I will also make sure that it's a good hit that counts. Like a bloody nose or a busted jaw!" he said, waving a fist in the air with a smile.

"Come on Russell, let's get home and eat. I'm hungry." she said patting his chest.

"Good plan! I only got a couple of bites in before you came storming into the office." he admitted.

So the two caught the bus to the Jones flat and sat in the living room eating and working on their homework before they settled down to watch television together, stretching out comfortably on the large couch since Russell was staying the night.

Later that night Ianto walked through the door, looking somewhat confused.

"Welcome home Tad." said Stella sitting up.

"Where's Mr. Harkness?" Russell asked.

Stella looked around and didn't see Jack anywhere which was strange because normally the two came home together.

Ianto gave them a strange look. "Jack's home at the hub of course." he said.

Stella and Russell exchanged worried glances.

"What are you talking about Tad?" Stella asked. "Dad lives here."

"No, Jack lives at the hub. And why do you call him dad? It's not like we've ever been together." Ianto said, hanging up his coat. "And you're in quite a bit of trouble for that outburst earlier Stella."

Stella starred. "What do you mean you and dad have never been together? What the hell is going on all of the sudden?"

"Stella! I told you to watch your mouth! That's no way for a young lady to talk!" Ianto said sternly. "Do it again and Russell's going home tonight."

"But…. But Dad's never lived at the hub! Not since I've moved here! We picked this flat cause we knew dad would like the view. His clothes are in the closet you two share! His toiletries are in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom you two use! He bought your new bed and he sleeps on the left, you sleep on the right! He picked the couch!" Stella said, jumping up and trying to reason with him.

"Mr. Jones, you and Mr. Harkness both told me that you had been together for almost eleven months!" Russell chimed in. "That's why Stella calls you Tad and Mr. Harkness dad. Because you're both her father!"

"Tad, you adopted me so we could be a family together. You and me, and dad! What's gotten into everyone?"

"What's gotten into the two of you is more like it." Ianto said, starring them down, hands on his hips meaning he meant business. "Jack and I were never together."

"Tad, he left you in charge while he was gone." Stella pointed out.

"No he didn't." Ianto sighed shaking his head. "I'm just the archivist and the tea boy when you're not around and you know that."

"But Mr. Jones, you and Mr. Harkness love each other." said Russell coming to stand beside Stella. "I've seen you guys out together! Ask Tina! She'll tell you the same thing! You guys confide in each other."

"No we don't Russell. Jack confides in Adam." Ianto told him. "Now then, you two can order pizza or something for dinner, I'm going to bed early. Goodnight."

Stella and Russell watched as Ianto walked into his room and shut the door.

"You're right Stella. Something's really, really wrong here." Russell agreed.

The two of them ignored dinner and spent the rest of the night talking about what could be happening before they went to bed.

.

The next day Ianto got up and completely ignored the fact that he appeared to have Jack's shirts in his closet. Instead he just figured that he must have left them there after picking up the dry cleaning, forgetting to take them in. But instead of taking them to work with him, he left them in his closet and left for work.

He was completely bewildered by Stella's behavior and sudden outbursts. Russell's too. The two teens were normally so well behaved and quiet, that's why Jack offered to let them run the tourist office together. But between Stella's sudden violent reaction to Adam, and Russell's protests over the current relationship between him and Jack, Ianto couldn't help but feel a strange nagging in the back of his mind.

Ianto had never been with Jack. The most they had been was a part time shag on the side for each other. But then, why did it hurt when Jack seemed to ignore him the day before? Why did the other half of his bed smell so heavily of Jack's futuristic pheromones to the point that he couldn't sleep? Why were Jack's toiletries in his medicine cabinet?

But he just reasoned with himself saying that it was when they occasionally shagged at the flat if Stella was spending the night at a friends, and he kept some things there just in case.

The rest of the day though, Ianto couldn't help but wonder why things felt wrong. Especially when everyone left and he had no idea, being left along in the archives. After several hours he wandered up through the hub for some coffee, just as the group walked through the cog door, laughing at something.

Into just sighed and headed to the door, he wanted out. He didn't want to stay in the hub anymore.

"Oh Ianto?" Jack said suddenly.

"Yes sir?" Ianto asked, turning around.

Jack walked over and stood in front of him. "You really need to talk to Stella. She tried to stab Adam's hand with the letter opener when Adam put his hand on the counter. And Russell looked like he was about to punch him. They're getting out of hand. You need to do something about it." he said quietly but sternly. Then he turned to walk away.

"Why me Jack?" Ianto spoke up suddenly, making Jack freeze, with his back to him. He suddenly felt himself snap, just like Stella had been doing. He was upset and ready to scream about it. "Apparently you're her father too, why don't you talk to her about it! I've had enough of her snapping in my face about something being wrong! It's you're turn to be on the receiving end!"

Everyone starred at him and Jack turned around to look at him. But the look on his face and the emotions Ianto was suddenly getting were telling him that Jack felt confused instead of angry, and also somewhat worried.

But Ianto just frowned and looked down at his feet before grabbing his coat. He suddenly felt extremely annoyed for being completely ignored for the last two days. "God I should just leave Torchwood forever. I won't be back today and maybe tomorrow. You lot can make your own sodding coffee for once. I'm done being a the tea boy." he grumbled darkly before leaving the hub. When he arrived up in the tourist office he saw Stella and Russell glaring at him, but he just let out a tired sigh. He had a feeling Adam probably deserved whatever they did to him, Ianto just didn't know why he felt that.

"Here to yell at me Tad?" Stella said coldly.

Ianto shook his head with another tired sigh. "No. It's Jack's turn. You must call him dad for a reason and if that's true, then he needs to take partial responsibility for you." he said softly. He leaned over the counter and gave her a fatherly kiss on the forehead. "I'm done for now. I'll see you two at home." Then he left the hub deciding to head home and hide under his blanket instead of going to get food.

Jack sat down in his office, letting his head rest in his hands. Ianto was right, Stella must call him dad for a reason, so if that was true, why couldn't he remember it? Why was he suddenly remembering his father after a century and a half? Something was unburying the dead in his memories, and using it to bury something else.

"You alright Jack?" Adam asked, sitting down in front of him.

"Don't worry about it." Jack sighed.

"Is it because of what Ianto said?" Adam asked. "Stella's his daughter, shouldn't she be his responsibility?"

"If that was true, why does she call me dad, and why do I feel like she's my responsibility as well?" he wondered aloud. Then he suddenly felt a pang of fear. "Do you think Ianto will really leave Torchwood?"

"Who knows? But I'm sure we could get by without him. All he does is make coffee when Stella's not here and take care of the archives right? He's just an archival tea boy."

Jack froze. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Adam. "Excuse me?"

"Seriously Jack. We can get along just fine without him. It's not like he's essential to field operations or something. He just makes sure we get food and coffee when Stella's not here and he files the paperwork." Adam shrugged with a confident smile.

Jack suddenly felt annoyed at the words. That was wrong, that was very wrong, something was definitely wrong. "Out." Jack growled.

"What?" Adam asked.

"Get out of my office Adam." Jack said, feeling defensive of Ianto.

Adam let out a nervous laugh. "Why? What did I say?"

"Just GET OUT!" Jack roared, surging to his feet.

Adam quickly hopped out of his seat and scampered out of the office, everyone starring at him.

Deciding he didn't want to deal with the rest of the team Jack walked over and slammed his door shut, hard enough that the glass panes rattled a bit. Then he walked back to his desk and plopped down in his seat, running the heals of his hands over his face. He hadn't had any sleep in over twenty four hours and he was exhausted. He suddenly found himself wondering if Stella had been right.

So he called the phone in the tourist office.

"I'm not ordering you lot lunch!" came Stella's angry snarl. "Do it yourself you wankers!"

Jack jumped and held the phone an arms length away for a moment "Okay, someone's angry." he mumbled. "Stella! Don't hang up please!"

"Why? What do you want?"

"I want to see you and Russell down in my office." he said.

"How about you come see us up in our office Mr. Harkness?" Russell growled.

He was officially on the bad side of two very dangerous teenagers.

"I want you two down here." he said sternly.

"Russell's not supposed to go down in the hub. You know that Mr. Harkness!" Stella snapped.

Jack winced. Yeah, he was in trouble. Stella hadn't called him Mr. Harkness since he had first gotten home. Something was wrong. "I don't care, bring him down here Stella, the three of us need to talk." He grimaced as Stella threw down the receiver, leaving a loud ringing in his ears. For a moment he thought they weren't coming.

But soon enough the cog door rolled back and the alert sounded as Stella led Russell into the hub and everyone stayed out of their way because they were obviously very, very angry as they strode towards Jack's office.

"What do you want?" Stella growled, closing the door behind her.

"Sit down guys." he said, motioning to the chairs.

The two sat down and crossed their arms against their chests defensively.

"What did you do to Mr. Jones?" Russell inquired. "He was really quite unhappy when he left this afternoon."

Jack starred. "How would you know that?" he inquired.

"Because his most prominent thought was how much he hated his life because he was being taken for granted!" Russell snapped. "His depression was just radiating off of him!"

Jack felt quite taken aback at the moment. Was Russell psychic he wondered.

"Yes, yes I am." Russell said, answering his unasked question.

"What is going on with you guys? Ever since that Adam guy appeared two days ago, this team has gone bonkers!" Stella protested. "Tad's become a recluse, Tosh has forgotten her real boyfriend just like Gwen forgot poor Rhys, and Tosh and Owen have switched personalities!"

"And to top it off you and Mr. Jones have apparently forgotten how much you love each other." Russell said. "You two have been together for twice as long as both of us have known either of you. You don't just forget that you love somebody."

Jack felt like he had been slapped in the face. "Ianto and I? We….. We love each other?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah. You've been together for almost a year!" Stella said. "That's why I called you dad!"

Jack shook his head in disbelief as he starred down at his hands resting on his desk. "We've been together? For that long?"

"If you don't believe us, look in your little yellow tin." Stella said.

Instead of asking how the girl knew about the tin, Jack reached down into his desk to take out his tin.

"Look at the picture you put with the picture of you and your wife." she told him.

Jack did as he was told. But when he folded back the paper he was astonished to see a picture of him and Ianto dressed in matching white tuxedos, posing together, happy. He turned over the picture to see the date which was nearly eight months ago. He went through more pictures and found ones of him with children that he could hardly remember, pictures of him and Ianto holding hands, walking together, smiling at each other.

Then he found one obviously taken by someone when they didn't realize it. They were standing together in their tuxedos in a church, which appeared to be empty after a wedding. Jack had his arms around Ianto and he was gently kissing the young man on the forehead. The looks on their faces showed that they were happy. In love.

"See, you guys love each other." said Russell softly.

"Don't throw it all away dad." Stella told him.

He reached into the bottom of the tin and picked up the letter. It was then that he remembered his list. And he remembered rule number five the best.

"Always know that you're loved." he read. Then he saw in his childish scrawl: (of course I know that! Ianto loves me! He tells me so! That's why he calls me Cariad!) Beside that was Ianto's handwriting (yes Cariad, I love you very, very much, and don't you ever forget that!) "Something very strange is going on." he muttered.

"Bingo! And now he gets it!" Stella said sarcastically, sitting back in her seat. "Now do you see what I've been trying to tell you guys?"

"I think so. But then if you're right. Who's Adam?" he wondered.

"Good question." Stella mumbled.

"Anyway, we need to go, we promised my mum we'd be home in time for dinner." Russell said. Then he held out his hand. "Okay, hand it over, I'm ready." he said.

Jack starred and shook his head. "Hand what over Russ?"

"That amnesia pill you give people. I figured if I ever had to come down here, you guys would make me forget. So go on, hand it over. I'd prefer to take it with me so I can take it after dinner."

Jack chuckled softly. The kid was good, there was no doubt about it. "Not today Russell." he said. "I need your help with this as much as I need Stella's. So for now you've gotten out of taking the retcon."

Both teens gave him a surprised look.

"You're serious dad?" Stella asked.

"Yeah. I'm serious. Go on you two. Better get home so Ms. Havenshire doesn't get upset. I'll talk to Ianto later."

Both of them nodded then left, closing the door behind them.

Jack watched as they walked straight to the cog door and left. Russell was an impressive kid he had to admit. He was suddenly glad that he let the boy work with Stella in the office upstairs. After a moment he sighed and went down to his bunker. He wanted a nap before he had to confront Ianto. But when he flopped down on his bed, he was astonished and choked when there was a large cloud of dust surrounding him. He sat up coughing as he looked around.

It was then that he realized, his bunker looked unlived in. Like he hadn't been down there in months. His bed wasn't the only thing dusty. As he looked around he found that the entire room was covered in a thick layer of gray. He stood up and went to his locker to find it completely empty. He had no clothes here. He went into his bathroom to find that even the mirror had dust. He opened the cabinet to find it empty as well. It was obvious that he hadn't lived in his bunker in a long time. So where had he been sleeping since he had returned from the year that never was?

With that last thought he jumped up and climbed out of his bunker. Then he grabbed his coat and ran out of the hub, leaving everyone very confused as he said. "Go home everyone! Early day!"

Jack raced to Ianto's flat at Altolusso tower. He knocked but there was no response. So he pulled out his key ring and found that he had the key to Ianto's flat with his main set, meaning it was important. He opened the flat, but found the main room empty. He wandered into the kitchen and found a cabinet full of his favorite foods and a shelf with his favorite things as well. He wandered into the laundry room and found a hamper with his name on it in between Stella's hamper and Ianto's hamper.

After a moment he quietly snuck into the main bedroom where he saw a large lump under the duvet, gently rising and falling with each soft snore.

Jack quietly walked into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet where he found all of his toiletries in the left hand side. He walked out into the room and opened all the drawers on the left side of the dresser to find all of his underclothes and when he looked in the closet all of his clothes were hung up neatly to the left of Ianto's suits.

It was then that he realized. "I live here." he whispered softly to himself. "I live here. With Ianto and Stella." After a moment, he took off his coat and shoes and laid down beside the lump. He found that he felt comfortable. Like the bed was very familiar to him. Before long, he found himself drifting off to sleep.

"Jack! Get out of my bed!" came the angry cry.

Jack jumped before he sat up startled. "Huh? Wha?" he mumbled disoriented.

"Get out of my bed Jack!" Ianto repeated angrily. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

Jack let out a sigh of relief at seeing the young man. "Ianto!" he cried, hugging him tightly.

But Ianto shoved him away. "Get out Jack! NOW!"

Jack was surprised by Ianto's anger. "but… but….."

"I'm not in the mood for a casual shag got it? Now I want you out of my flat!" Ianto snapped.

Suddenly Jack felt hurt. Each angry word Ianto shouted at him seem to cut into his heart. "Ianto….. Wait… something's really wrong."

"I'll say! What's wrong, is that you're here, in my flat, in my bed, and I have no clue why!"

"Ianto, I really need to talk to you. Please, give me a minute." he begged.

Ianto let out a huff as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Go on then. It better be something good."

"I think Stella and Russell are right, something's really wrong."

Ianto scoffed. "Great! So you're going mad too." he growled.

Jack starred. "Ianto, somehow, we forgot that we love each other. I forgot that I live here, with you!"

This time Ianto starred at him. Then he shook his head. "No Jack, we're not in love. You don't live here, we've never been together! We're just an occasional part time shag between boss and employee. Which I need to rephrase that. Former boss and former employee. I'm done with being the bloody tea boy! I'm not going into work tomorrow and you'll have the paperwork for my resignation on your desk by Sunday. Now go!"

Jack was suddenly horrified. "What? No! No Ianto you can't resign!"

"Too bad! You can make your own damned coffee for once! I'm done with being taken for granted. I don't care if Stella still wants to run the tourist office, but I'm done!"

"I don't care about the coffee Ianto! You're not just a tea boy!" it was then that he remembered what Ianto's role had really been. "Ianto, you're my second in command! My confidant, my best friend!"

"No I'm not! Adam is! Remember Adam, Jack? He's all of those things to you! I'm just a tea boy that fiddles around in the archives!"

Jack could hardly believe it. Why was Ianto suddenly thinking that all he was, was someone that the other's could care less about. Then he closed his eyes. Jack had been ignoring him. "Why have I been ignoring you?" he asked softly. "I should always go to you."

"You don't Jack! You don't!" Ianto snapped at him, his face red with anger. "I'm done, I could care less. Tomorrow I'm going out and trying to find myself a nice job as a desk clerk, or maybe an archivist at the University. But I'm done with Torchwood, I'm done with aliens, and I'm done with you Jack Harkness! I'm tired of being a part time shag, and an invisible man the rest of the time."

Jack felt his eyes water. He was ready to break. Then he remembered something. He got up and went to his coat, fishing in the pocket for the letter. "If we didn't love each other Ianto, how do you explain the notes by the rules your brother sent me?" he asked, handing Ianto the paper. "If I didn't live here, why are all of my belongings here? Why is my bunker covered in dust including the bed? Where have I been sleeping for the last two months?"

"God only knows who's bed you're sleeping in every night." Ianto grumbled, annoyed. But he straightened out the letter with a snap of his wrist, reading the bottom.

Jack then saw Ianto's facial expressions change from anger to pure confusion.

"Okay, this is obviously my handwriting, but I don't remember writing this. I don't remember calling you Cariad." he murmured. He looked up at Jack, obviously lost. "Do we love each other?"

"I think we do Ianto. Something's messed with our memories. It must be like when Gwen suddenly forgot Rhys."

"I thought you said it was stress." Ianto pointed out.

"I may have been wrong." Jack admitted. But he suddenly felt exhausted as he let out a tired yawn.

Ianto's look suddenly softened, and he reached out and gently cupped Jack's cheek, running his thumb along his cheekbone. "You're exhausted Jack. Lay down, get some sleep." he said kindly.

Jack suddenly felt hopeful. "Am I forgiven?" he asked shyly.

"I honestly don't know at the moment. But for now, you need some sleep. Then we'll figure something out, okay?"

Jack nodded then laid down beside Ianto, closing his eyes. Before long he was in a deep, peaceful sleep.

Jack awoke later that night to find that he was completely alone. He looked at the clock to see that it was almost five in the morning. He got up and looked around for Ianto who was apparently no where to be found. When he went out into the kitchen he found a note on the fridge telling him that Ianto had left for the hub early.

Unsure of what to think he put his shoes and coat back on and left for the hub.

But what he found terrified him.

Ianto was suddenly thinking he had killed people. That was a lie. Ianto would never hurt anyone and Jack knew that. Ianto's eyes had gained a completely wild look to them as he told Jack to lock him up because he was a monster.

What scared Jack even more was that the best lie detector said that Ianto was telling the truth as he described the murders. So Jack went and found the CCTV feeds and he found what he was looking for, Adam had been forcing memories into them through touch. That's why Stella and Russell couldn't remember him. They had never let Adam touch them, instead they backed away and threatened him to keep him back.

"Apparently Stella and Russell had been the smart ones." Jack said moving Ianto to see the video of Adam forcing the memories into his head. "He manipulates memories through touch. The kids would never let him touch them, so they were unaffected. You're no murderer Ianto. You're my lover, my best friend, and my confidant, and you're the most kindhearted man I know." he told him, hugging him from behind.

More searching and they found that Adam's records had been fabricated only a couple of days before, and that Adam had no blood sample when everyone, even Russell and his sister Tina had blood samples since they would help Stella with the tourist office.

As they continued they were suddenly interrupted when the lights came on. Jack picked up a book and Ianto looked around as if searching for something.

Then they saw Owen carrying a bunch of flowers.

'That's new.' Jack thought to himself. Then the three went about their business.

When Stella and Russell arrived in the tourist office Jack went upstairs to talk to them.

"Hey kids." he said with a tiny smile. "It turns out you two were the most intelligent ones of us all keeping Adam away from you."

Stella and Russell looked at each other, then back at Jack.

"And why is that?" Stella asked slowly.

"Because Adam is a very unusual creature. He feeds false memories into people through touch. Since you guys never let him touch either of you, he didn't affect your memories like he did ours."

"So, you're saying that, when this… thing… touch each one of you, it messed with your real memories as it formed fake ones?" Russell asked slowly.

"Precisely." Jack said, deciding that the kid was definitely sharp. "I need the two of you down in the hub with the rest of us. We're going to get rid of Adam once and for all."

"Are you going to retcon me this time?" Russell asked.

Jack nodded. "I'm retconing everyone this time." he admitted. "All of us. We need to wipe all memories of Adam off the face of this planet, that means CCTV video, everything."

"So how many days are you wiping from our memories dad?" Stella asked.

"Two days should be enough." he admitted.

"So….." Russell began slowly. "If…. If I'm gonna be retconed anyway. Can I at least see the pterodactyl if she's in her nest?" he asked. "I love pteranodons and even if I won't remember it, I think it would be cool to see one."

Jack chuckled with a smile and a nod. "Alright. You do at least deserve a small tour." he agreed. "Come on then. Let's go."

Jack led the two of them down to the hub, and this time Russell looked around and smiled.

"This place is pretty cool. To think I work for the cover story." he said smiling.

Jack chuckled softly.

Of course, with his plan he knew that meant that Russell would wake up in the hub with everyone else meaning he would get to see it anyway. But he kept that to himself figuring that the kid did such a great job helping with their cover story that he deserved a bit of a treat. Especially since he spoke French too, so he could actually help tourists. When one of the team came in while there was a guest asking for help, Russell would kindly lead them outside as if to explain certain sights to them so that whoever was going into the hub, could do so without detection. The kid was a gem, just like Stella, and that's why Jack agreed to pay him. Plus Russell's mother agreed since he was earning wages on a first job anyway.

"What's Russell doing in here?" Ianto asked slowly, walking out of the office.

"Tad? Since when do you look so unprofessional?" Stella asked slowly, noticing that Ianto looked unusually worn out and tired.

"It's…. a long story." Ianto sighed.

"It is." Jack agreed. "Anyway, Russell is helping us with our little mission." he explained gently patting Russell on the shoulders. "So, since he's going to be retconed anyway, we figured he deserved the chance to meet Myfanwy."

"Then make sure he has a chocolate bar on him. Then she'll love him." Ianto said, finally showing a tiny smile.

"She eats chocolate?" Russell asked, looking up at Jack.

"Yup. She eats chocolate." Jack said a smile.

"Preferably dark." Ianto said with a chuckle.

So they got a bar of chocolate and led Russell up to Myfanwy who was sitting in her nest.

"I think we should add, feeding Myfanwy to Russell's list of chores." Jack whispered to Stella, making her giggle.

Myfanwy appeared to love Russell almost as much as she loved Ianto. Russell was sitting on the straw of her nest, laughing as the pterodactyl ran her beak through his hair, gently nudging his cheek, or his shoulder for attention and wrapping her wings around him as he gently patted her head.

But after about ten minutes and much to Myfanwy's noisy dismay, they had to take Russell back, because Tosh would be arriving with Adam any moment.

The whole plan almost went off without a hitch, until Tosh grabbed a gun. But luckily Ianto was able to wrestle it away from her as Jack dragged Adam down to the vaults. Then he went upstairs to deal with everyone in the board room.

He explained how Adam had changed everyone's memories, and in the process changed who they were. So he hypnotized them and had them all remember defining moments in their lives.

Owen and his mother. While the memories weren't exactly happy, they were part of what made Owen, well, Owen. He even remembered his fiancée a little. He still missed her in the end.

Tosh, she remembered always feeling so alone, for so long. Then she remembered her first date with James, the week she spent with him in California and the day he moved in with her.

Gwen remembered Rhys. Rhys was just what she needed to stay grounded. He loved her and would let her live a normal life.

Stella, she remembered the day that Ianto had taken her out to lunch after taking her away from providence park. The day he agreed to adopt her and the day Jack became known as her dad and Ianto her tad. The day Russell asked her out on a date.

Russell, he remembered the first time he got into a fight when some kids picked on him for his love of books and dinosaurs. The day he and his sister started school. The day he met Stella.

Ianto, he sat and remembered his family. The day his father rescued him from providence park like he had rescued Stella. His first day out with Alistair, finding out that there was an angry little demon in his head, which of course worried Jack a bit. His friendship with Lisa. The day he first kissed Jack.

Gwen apparently loved Jack. Oh God, he had to end that quick. He set a retcon pill in her hand. "Here, take this." he said softly. Tosh was always waiting for someone to see how special she was. "I saw it Tosh, and so did James." he told her with a smile, handing her a pill as well. Owen wanted to be saved. "I'll save you Owen." Stella, she wanted her family back to normal. "It will be Sweetheart. Promise." Russell, Russell was just glad to have met everyone. "And we're glad we met you too Russell." Ianto….

"Coming here, it gave me meaning again. I found a wonderful life." he looked up at Jack. "I met you."

Jack smiled, leaning down and gently kissing his forehead. "And I met you." he said, setting the pill in front of him. "You've all been given a short term amnesia pill. We need to wipe all memories of Adam from our memories. Go back to who we were."

After making sure everyone had taken their pills and had fallen asleep, Jack went around cleaning the hub making sure every trace of Adam was gone. But then he found something surprising.

Ianto's diary was laying on the floor. He smiled and, after making sure it held no traces of Adam, he hid it in his desk. He knew it was a bit unfair. But he did tell Ianto he'd find a way to read that diary. One last check and Jack went to confront Adam who tried to insert himself into Jack's memories of his father. But Jack would have none of it, and he took the retcon, before sliding down the wall, and falling asleep on the floor.

.

When Ianto woke up he felt a slight stab of pain in his neck. He groaned and rubbed the sore spot before realizing he was in the boardroom and he had no idea how he had gotten there. Everyone was in the board room, even Russell, which was a bit odd.

"Ohh what a nap…" Russell yawned, obviously being the second to wake up. Then he shot up and wiped at his cheek with his sleeve. "Oh nasty! I drooled everywhere!"

Ianto chuckled slightly. "What are you doing in here Russell?"

"I… have no idea. Where am I Mr. Jones?" he asked looking around.

"You're in the boardroom, in the hub." he said, standing up and stretching. He winced as his stiff muscles protested the action. After another moment Ianto saw a sticky note on the table in front of him. He picked it up and smiled.

It read 'take Russell up to feed Myfanwy. He was very brave trusting us and he deserves the treat, Jack'

"Russell, how would you like to help me feed Myfanwy?" he asked.

Russell paused in his attempt to clean his face. "Who's Myfanwy?"

"Come on, I'll show you. We'll let the other's sleep."

Russell got up and followed him out of the boardroom, looking around in awe. "Oh wow!" he saw in awe. "This place is so cool!" but then he paused. "Wait. I always figured that if I was ever brought down here I'd be retconed to forget it. What was the purpose of making me forget if I'm still down here?"

Ianto shook his head with a shrug. "No idea, there must have been some reason behind it."

He took Russell up to feed Myfanwy and was amazed to see the pterodactyl affectionately rub against the boy before he had even fed her. Ianto made a mental note to ask if he could make feeding Myfanwy one of Russell's duties for a slight pay raise.

When they got back downstairs everyone was up and wandering around obviously confused as to what had been going on. Everyone had been retconed, and there were two days missing from the CCTV footage, and everyone kept questioning why Russell was in the hub.

After a while Jack had come up from the vaults just as lost as the rest of them, but after a quick trip into the office he came back out telling them not to recover the missing video footage something about their safety.

Of course then Gwen tried to get defiant until Ianto barked at her to leave it alone. So she finally backed off.

After a while Ianto went in search of his diary, but when he didn't find it, he began to panic, then Jack called him into his office.

"Did you… uh… call for me?" he asked, poking his head in the door.

"Found your diary." Jack said, holding out the leather bound object.

"Great, I've… been looking for that." he muttered, reaching for it. He silently wondered just how much of it Jack had read. He turned to leave when he heard Jack say, "And for the record," Ianto froze in the doorway. "measuring tapes never lie." Ianto rolled his eyes and let out a silent curse. Then he left.

"Hey!" Jack called out.

"What?" he asked looking in again.

"Who's Adam?" Jack asked bewildered.

"Don't know." he said quickly, then he left, completely embarrassed.

That night Ianto laid in bed beside Jack after a fit of quiet passion, gently combing his fingers through the fine hair at the back of Jack's neck as his lover dozed beside him.

"Why does it feel like this week has been a long one?" Jack whispered sleepily.

"No idea Cariad. But I would have to agree. It's been a long week." he sighed. For some reason though, he had an immense feeling of relief, as if the world had shifted somehow, and it was now set right again. "Get some sleep Jack. It's late and we're both tired."

"Way ahead of ya." Jack yawned with a smile. And with that he curled up in Ianto's arms and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Ianto smiled and gently kissed Jack's forehead. "Rwy'n di garu dy, Jack." he whispered softly. Then he settled down and drifted right off to sleep with him.

.

.

.

A/N: so what did you guys think? I spent all day on this chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed Stella and Russell in this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing them! If you did let me know, and I will actually try and have another chapter posted later tonight since I went for three days without a post. Sorry about that! Anyway, thanks for sticking with me everyone!


	50. stories and some pterodactyl fluff

A/N: alright I felt I had to throw in some Ianto and Myfanwy fluff into the story since I appear to be getting requests for it. It's a bit of a drabble though so I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. It'd be cool to have a pterodactyl though.

.

.

.

"Ianto! Get off of me!" Jack growled, his face buried in his pillow. He heard Ianto laugh softly, his breath gently ghosting over Jack's ear.

Jack had been peacefully sleeping, face down on the bed when a sudden weight had fallen on his back. Then he had realized that Ianto had pounced on him.

"I'm not getting up." Ianto said, wrapping his arms around Jack's chest.

"Then I'm going to drool on your half of the bed!" Jack threatened, his voice still muffled by the mattress.

"Do you worst Jack Harkness. After all, it is your turn to wash the sheets tonight." Ianto said smoothly, blowing warm air on Jack's ear again before placing a soft kiss on the back of his neck.

Jack growled. He totally forgot that Wednesday was his night to do everyone's laundry. "That is horribly unfair!" he sighed.

"No it's not." Ianto protested.

Just then Jack's mobile phone began ringing on the nightstand.

"Ianto! Let me up!" Jack said, trying to stretch his arm far enough.

"Nah. Don't think so." Ianto said.

Jack felt Ianto lift up a little bit then he found his phone dropped unceremoniously in front of him before Ianto snuggled back down against him. He sighed and looked at the caller ID before smiling.

"Suddenly, I hear the voice of a nightingale." he said with a chuckle.

"Hello Jack." came Martha's laugh.

"Is there something I can help you with Miss. Jones?"

Martha explained that she was being sent to Cardiff to assist Torchwood per UNIT orders, which definitely made his day.

"Ianto, do you think you can set up a hotel room for Martha when we get into work?" Jack asked.

"I'll have it taken care of by lunch time sir." Ianto mumbled, his face buried in the fabric of Jack's shirt. He hadn't moved during the entire ten minute phone call.

Jack heard Martha laugh.

"Did I interrupt some early morning activities?" she asked.

"No. Don't worry about it." Jack sighed. He let out a sudden cry, and so did Ianto when they felt another weight pounce on them.

"Jack? Are you alright?" Martha asked worriedly.

Jack turned his head to see Stella laying on Ianto's back giggling, but Ianto now had a very disgruntled look on his face.

"Are you alright Jack? Do you need help?" Martha inquired.

"Yeah I do. Come get me out from the bottom of this Welsh family dog pile." Jack protested.

"A Welsh family dog pile? That's new."

"It's better then a Midnightstar family dog pile." Jack sighed.

"Which is better then a Midnight family dog pile." Ianto chimed in.

"How do you have almost three hundred family members in a dog pile?" he asked bewildered.

"It's a very big dog pile." Ianto quipped.

"Right. Now get off! Both of you! It's time to go."

"We're having too much fun dad." Stella protested. "Tell miss Martha I said hello."

"Stella says hello." he told Martha who giggled.

"Well tell Stella I said hello too."

"Martha said hello, now get off of me before I suffocate!"

"Five minutes of you being quiet? I might just stay here." Ianto grumbled.

Jack just sighed and Martha laughed.

"I'll leave you to family issues." she said.

So after saying goodbye, Jack hug up the phone. "Can I get up now?" Jack asked.

After a second Stella got up and left the room, but Ianto stayed put.

"Ianto?"

"I'm comfy, I'm staying here." Ianto said stubbornly.

Jack just sighed and rolled over so that he was lying on top of Ianto. "Come again?"

"Jackass." Ianto muttered.

Jack chuckled, but then he got a nasty surprise when Ianto shoved him off and sent him tumbling off the bed.

"And now we're all up." Ianto said, getting off the bed. But he got up to quickly and obviously got lightheaded because he suddenly stumbled and fell to the floor making Jack laugh. "That's not funny Jack!"

"Isn't payback a bitch sometimes my love?" he asked affectionately.

Ianto got up and mumbled something along the lines of 'fuck payback,' before he headed into the bathroom for a shower, leaving Jack sitting on the floor chuckling to himself. Today was obviously going to be very interesting for them.

.

It was beginning to get somewhat late as Stella and Russell debated closing down the tourist office. 17:00 meant it was almost time for the two of them to go feed the hub residents, human, alien, and pteranodon alike.

It had been nearly a month since everyone including Russell had woken up in the boardroom after Jack had retconed everyone, but since then, Russell had become a valuable team member just like Stella. They had limited access, but they provided essential back up from the hub when the entire team was out on a mission, they made sure everyone was fed, including Janet and Myfanwy, and they helped run the tourist office.

Just then the office door opened as Stella finished her work on the computer.

"Sorry, we're closed." Russell said kindly.

The woman held up an ID, but Russell just tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Hi Miss Martha!" said Stella grinning.

"Hello Stella. Who's your partner here?" Martha asked, giving Stella a hug.

"This is my boyfriend Russell. He helps out around here." she explained.

Russell suddenly turned red. "Oh! So you're Miss. Jones! Sorry about that." he said, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you Russell." said Martha shaking it. "So, Torchwood hires kids all of the sudden?"

"We're kinda like…. Paid high school interns. Just… nobody knows what we really do." Russell said with a shrug.

"Basically." Stella agreed. "We make sure everyone is taken care of, we help with the paperwork, the cleaning duties, we run the tourist office, and we help with back up from here."

"We never go out in the field, and we don't deal with any of the alien tech. Not like I'd want to. Feeding Janet is enough danger for me." Russell admitted.

"Why? Janet likes you." Stella giggled. "You're the only one besides Owen that Janet doesn't growl at."

"Who's Janet?" Martha asked.

"Our resident Weevil." Russell explained as Stella called downstairs to tell everyone that Martha was there.

"Right."

Russell and Stella escorted Martha down to the hub, Russell being a gentleman and carrying her medical case for her.

.

Ianto couldn't help but smile when Jack saw Martha escorted by the two teens who excused themselves to go about their nighttime feeding duties.

Jack looked ecstatic, and Ianto had to admit, he did like Martha. She was very nice and she was actually quite pretty.

As Jack took her around the hub Ianto went to check on Russell who was up feeding Myfanwy while Stella fed Janet.

But he felt a pang of fear when he heard a shout for help from Russell. So he rushed to the nest just to hear giggles.

Russell was trying to get out of the nest, but Myfanwy would grab the back of his shirt and pull him back before resting her beak across his chest.

Ianto let out a heavy sigh of relief before smiling. "You've taken my place in my pterodactyl's heart!" he protested with a playful smile.

"I didn't think she'd like me that much! Honest!" Russell said trying to move away.

Ianto walked into the nest and stepped closer to the pteranodon. "Come now darling, let Russell go." he said soothingly with smile, reaching out to gently caress her wing.

Myfanwy suddenly let Russell go, then she turned to rub her beak against Ianto's cheek with a soft chirp.

Ianto chuckled as she began to pat her beak against his jacket. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Yes, I brought you your favorite." He gently tapped her beak with the wrapped candy bar. "I spoil you too much." he said affectionately as he unwrapped the chocolate and gave it to her.

"So why is she your pterodactyl Mr. Jones?" Russell asked curiously.

"She's mine in a way because number one, I'm the one that pretty much takes care of her, and number two Myfanwy was how I got my job here at Torchwood three." he said honestly as he gently rubbed her beak, which was now resting on his shoulder as she leaned against him.

"Really? What happened?" he inquired sitting down, obviously hoping for a bit of a story.

Ianto smiled and sat down beside him, figuring they had a little bit of time while Jack talked with Martha.

Myfanwy followed suit, laying down on her belly and folding her wings behind her as she rested her beak in Ianto's lap.

"It's a long story with quite a start actually." he said honestly.

"Do we have time?"

"I suppose we do." he shrugged. "But I have to start at why I wanted to work here, that's the longest part of the story."

"Okay. Go ahead then, I'm listening. I'm a good listener." Russell said, shifting to get comfortable.

Ianto smiled a little. "Have you ever heard of the battle of Canary Wharf, Russell?" he asked, rubbing Myfanwy's beak again.

Russell nodded. "There were these weird robot guys everywhere and they were fighting with these dumb trash can looking thingamajiggers."

Ianto actually found himself chuckling softly as he nodded. "Cybermen and Daleks. Daleks were the dangerous ones though."

"They were?"

"No idea why, but they were. My brother Tucker once told me about the great time war between the Time Lords and the Daleks on the planet Gallifrey. The two oldest races in the universe. Of course then I thought it was just made up until we found out Tucker's dad is a time lord." he said still somewhat surprised by the news himself. "Apparently that's why he says Wibbly Wobbly Timey Whimey all the time. Anyway, the Daleks somehow managed to get through the void between parallel worlds which tore a hole in our universe. Torchwood Tower was built to reach the hole to research it. Torchwood one in London eventually based themselves in it."

"Torchwood Tower? Did no one really know what it was?" he asked curiously, as he rubbed Myfanwy's outstretched wing.

"They disguised it as something. I really don't remember what. I was recruited right out of Uni. I became head archivist and I stuck to the archives, kinda like here. Most of the stuff they did bothered me too much. One of them was the ghost shift project. They'd open the void and it looked like ghosts were appearing all over the world."

"I remember that!" said Russell. "It was the year before my mum and dad split. My dad thought he was seeing his mum for some reason. But my mum, and Tina and I never saw it."

"Yes, well those ghosts were actually cybermen trying to follow the daleks through the tear in the universe."

"Ah… okay." he said, nodding in understanding.

"Eventually they managed to get through the void and the cybermen and the daleks essentially started a war. They began 'upgrading' humans since they were running low on reinforcements. At first they would transplant human brains into cybermen armor." He paused and took a deep breath. He was now at the hardest part of the story. "After that no longer worked, they began converting them. One of the first to die was actually Martha's cousin Adeola who was a part of the research team working on the ghost shift. Another was my friend Lisa. After I managed to rescue another friend of mine I found her. But she had already been partially converted." he paused again.

"You wanted to save her." Russell said softly, looking down at the wing that was now resting in his lap.

"I should've known she was dead. But I tried to save her anyway. Of course there wasn't much I could do since Torchwood Tower was destroyed, and I couldn't keep her in a storage unit. I needed the alien tech to try and save her."

"And Torchwood three had the tech right?" he asked.

Ianto nodded. "Of course, trying to get in here was a real pain. Jack wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. He never trusted Torchwood London, and in all honesty I didn't blame him considering Torchwood one essentially caused the battle themselves. Out of over eight hundred of us working there, only twenty eight of us survived because of it all. Between that and Yvonne Hartman who ran the place, Jack loathed me automatically."

"So how many tries did it take you?" Russell chuckled.

"Three. The first time I helped him a bit with a weevil hunt. I stepped in as the Weevil bit his neck. The second I offered him coffee."

Russell laughed making Ianto smile. "Coffee?"

"After I got in I found that coffee is definitely one way into that man's heart." he said honestly.

"Hey, considering you're coffee is amazing, I could see why." Russell said with a grin. "So, Myfanwy was the third attempt?"

"Yes, Myfanwy here was my third attempt." Ianto admitted, gently rubbing the back of the pterodactyl's neck, making her squawk contentedly. "I had a rift activity locator from Torchwood one and I found Myfanwy in a warehouse. So, I decided since Jack appeared to love being out in the field, I'd tempt him with a pterodactyl hunt."

"And how'd you get close enough to him for that?"

"I put on my suit and I stepped in front of the SUV, in the middle of the road, on a rainy night."

Russell laughed. "Got kinda brave did you?"

"I was desperate." Ianto shrugged with a smile. "Anyway, he sat there and threatened to retcon me or run me over if I didn't leave Cardiff by morning, but as he walked back to the SUV I just said 'So you're not going to help me catch this pterodactyl then?' You should've seen the look on his face."

"The bait worked huh?"

"It worked." Ianto agreed with a nod and a laugh. "Then I just kept messing with him. Like when all he had in the way of special equipment was a huge tranquilizer. He was pretty annoyed when he sarcastically said he kept dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV and I told him Torchwood London would have."

"I did notice Mr. Harkness has quite an ego."

"It's actually deflated a bit since I've been here."

"No way! How did anyone stand him before then?"

Ianto laughed again. "Good question." he shrugged. "Anyway, it took some bribing with a chocolate bar, and her flying around with Jack holding onto her leg before we finally got her knocked out. I guess between my suits and the fact that I was good in a pterodactyl hunt, Jack decided to hire me. He let me name her too. So I named her Myfanwy as a joke since she doesn't exactly have a very good singing voice."

As if in protest Myfanwy let out a loud screech making the two laugh.

"Your speaking voice on the other hand is fantastic Myfanwy." Russell joked, leaning over and kissing the tip of her beak. "So, if you don't mind asking, did you get your friend in here?"

"I did manage to get her in here, but in the end, I realized that I was feeling very guilty for hiding her and sneaking around behind everyone's back. When I found she really was gone and there was no way I could save her, I decided to tell Jack the truth. I figured I'd rather tell him the truth as opposed to me continuing to lie. In the end he forgave me and we worked past that pretty quick. The other's never knew though."

"Well that's good."

Ianto smiled. Russell really was quite a good listener, and he honestly appreciated the young man's patience. But after a moment he looked down at his watch. "We've been up here for a while. We better get back downstairs before they start to wonder if Myfanwy suddenly turned on us."

Russell laughed a little.

"Come now Myfanwy, time to get up dear." Ianto said, gently nudging the pterodactyl.

Myfanwy squawked at them, obviously annoyed.

"If you're good, I'll let you out to fly tonight." Ianto told her.

After a few more noisy chirps Myfanwy got up and flapped her wings a bit then the two of them said goodnight before leaving the nest.

The rest of the night seemed to go by pretty easy, but there had been another victim that had survived an attack with a hypodermic needle, and Owen almost blew Ianto's head off which made him quite angry after Jack began laughing about it.

Martha and Owen had gone to check out the victim. When they ran got back they immediately ran tests and everyone was soon in the boardroom talking about the strange DNA they had discovered.

After a while though Ianto had realized that no one had eaten since lunch, then, as if on cue, Russell came in with his little note pad.

"Right then, it's late and I'm sure everyone's hungry for dinner." he said with a smile. "Choices are, Chinese and Italian, take you're picks."

Ianto chuckled as Martha watched everyone sit in silence, continuing to go over their paperwork. 'I could go for some Chinese food,' he thought.

"Right then, ravioli with alfredo sauce for Miss Tosh, Shrimp lo mein for Dr. Harper. Spaghetti and Meatballs for Mr. Harkness and Stella. Sweet and sour shrimp for Mr. Jones, Chicken parmesan for Miss Cooper, and since you're biggest craving seems to be sesame chicken and fried rice over the shrimp linguine, sesame chicken for Miss Martha." he rattled off, writing down the orders. "I shall go order dinner." and with that he turned and left the room.

"How'd he do that?" Martha asked in awe. "How'd he know what I was craving?"

"Russell's a bit psychic." Ianto explained with smile, leaning back in his chair.

"He's not very strong. But when you have one very prominent thought over the others, he can usually pick up on it pretty easily." Owen said with a chuckle. "It makes it much easier when we can just think about what we want as opposed to all of us shouting out our orders from various areas of the hub."

"And that way if we're a bit indecisive, he can usually tell which one we're craving more, like he did with you." Gwen told her.

"That's why Russell's taken over ordering the food for everyone." said Jack with a smile. "He gives everyone two choices for type of food, and we all decide what we want from there."

"So you have a teenage sorceress and a psychic working in your tourist office?" she asked surprised.

"As you can plainly see, I have very unusual hiring practices." said Jack chuckling.

"Yeah, you hire the unusual ones." Ianto quipped.

"I think Gwen was the most normal out of us all." said Tosh.

"Was is the key word now." Owen snarked with a smile.

"Hey!" Gwen cried indignantly, throwing a wad of paper at him.

After about twenty minutes Russell returned with everyone's food, Stella following with drinks for everyone and soon enough everyone was happily chatting away over dinner.

"So what took you and Russell so long with Myfanwy anyway?" Jack asked Ianto.

"I was picking on Russell because it appears he's taken my place in Myfanwy's heart." Ianto said with a smile.

"Until Mr. Jones gave her some chocolate." Russell pointed out.

"You spoil that prehistoric beast too much." said Owen with a sigh.

"Yeah, that Pterodactyl's going to get fat with all of that chocolate." Jack agreed.

"You have a pterodactyl?" Martha asked, amazed.

"She fell through the rift." Ianto explained. Then he turned on Jack. "And you're one to talk. I should put locks on the junk food cabinets at home. You're getting a bit pudgy around the midsection Jack." he said, leaning over and poking Jack in the side making everyone laugh.

"Hey, I'm not that bad! I am getting older after all." Jack protested.

"I'm just wondering why it took you so long to fill out with all of that junk food you eat tea boy." Owen inquired.

"It's one thing to fill out, but I think it's gone to my face more." he mumbled tugging his cheeks. "Especially because my mum saw a recent picture of me and went, 'aww, you look adorable! You have chubby cheeks now!' I think I'm going to go on a diet now."

"Don't you dare!" Owen protested as everyone laughed even more. "The rest of you is still too skinny. No diet! Doctor's orders."

"Though that is a bit harsh on your mom's part." said Tosh with a tiny smile.

"I can see what she's talking about though." Jack said with a smile, reaching over and tugging on Ianto's cheek.

"Not funny!" Ianto growled, kicking Jack under the table.

"Ouch! You didn't have to kick me!" he whined childishly.

"Stop it, you're daughter acts older then you." he chided.

"She is older then me if you go by birth years." Jack said. "Go by birth years and she should be almost three thousand three hundred years older."

"You should know better then to go by birth years in my family Jack. It doesn't work that way." Ianto pointed out.

"Why's that?" Martha asked.

"It's very, very complicated." said Tosh. "Don't every try and draw out their family tree. James tried to help me once, I got so lost it wasn't funny."

"And this is coming from a genius." Gwen said.

"That bad?" Martha inquired.

"Well, take Roderick and Alan for example." said Ianto. "Roderick was born in 1920, Alan was born in 1936, Alan just turned 36 and Roderick is 27. Or Roderick and Uncle Travis, they were both the same exact age, down to the day. Uncle Travis is now 92."

"Or take the eleven year old Irish twins that were born in 1844." Tosh agreed.

"Or Tanner and Jacob. Tanner was born in 1963, James was born in 1965, Tanner's 19 and Jacob is 32." Jack pointed out.

"Better yet! Grandpa Ashtor and Alistair! Alistair was 47 when he took care of Grandpa Ashtor as a ten year old. Now Alistair is 88, and Grandpa Ashtor is….. Well somehow Alistair's Grandpa and he's 83 and he's alive again after being dead for twenty five years." Ianto laughed at the looks of confusion on everyone's faces.

"What the hell is wrong with your family?" Owen asked, obviously lost.

"We mess up time lines worse then anyone else in the universe!" Ianto laughed.

"When a family's time lines confuse the doctor, you know they're bad." Jack told Martha.

"I'll say! Good grief! What a nightmare!"

"That's why we don't do family trees." Ianto said honestly. "Or else it would give everyone a headache. No one's related to who their supposed to be. Or relationships just end up a little out there. Like Roderick and Uncle Travis."

"How were they weird?" Jack asked. "They seemed pretty normal to me back in the 1930's."

"Ooh, I think James told me the story about the twins." Tosh said with a smile. "It's not exactly complicated. It's more just funny."

"Why is it funny?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Yeah, you've piqued my interest now." Jack said.

"Go ahead Tea boy, explain." Owen said.

"Well Roderick has a twin named Braydon for one, that is essential. Roderick and Uncle Travis actually dated when they were younger, it's just no one knew. Braydon dated Aunt Abby. Roderick is now married to a woman named Serenity, Braydon is married to a guy named Lloyd and Uncle Travis married Aunt Abby."

"That's actually kind of funny." Martha said honestly.

"I had no clue about Roderick and Travis." Jack said honestly. "Really, I didn't. Braydon and Abby yes. But not Roderick and Travis. Though I do find it kind of funny how they each adopted a twin girl. Of course when you see the four of them together it get's a little freaky."

And that started quite a few more stories about the family making everyone laugh.

"I'm going to have nightmares of a kid chewing on a tesla coil with sneezing elephants." Owen muttered, standing up, obviously referring to the story about when they discovered that a five year old Alan was immortal.

Ianto just stood up with a tiny smile as he shook his head before helping Stella and Russell clear the table.

"Is all that stuff really true Mr. Jones?" Russell asked quietly.

"Every story I've told you tonight is the absolute truth Russell." he said honestly with a smile.

"What a family." the kid sighed, shaking his head.

"Family is family and that's really all that matters." Ianto shrugged. "Anyway, let's finish up here and head home. I doubt your mother will be very happy to know that I let you eat dinner after 21:00."

Russell laughed a little. "I promise not to tell her. And thanks for telling me the story about Myfanwy Mr. Jones. It was a pretty cool story." he said, then he went about finishing up the cleaning with Stella.

Ianto just smiled after him thinking about just how lucky Stella was to have met such a patient and polite young man, and how lucky Torchwood was getting to hire him for the tourist office.

After everything had been cleaned up they all headed home for the night, Ianto and Jack dropping Martha off at her hotel before heading home.

All in all it was a quiet night at home as Russell settled down to sleep on the couch. Stella went to bed immediately, and Ianto curling up with Jack before drifting off to sleep, hoping that the week might actually be relatively easy for once.

.

.

.

A/N: alright, a little Janto fluff, a bit of Stella and Russell, and a bit of Ianto/Myfanwy and Russell/Myfanwy fluff. It's a fluffy chapter isn't it? Anyway, let me know what you guys thought. I had some fun writing it, so I really hope you enjoyed it. Thanks everyone!


	51. just an all out crazy chapter

A/N: alright guys, this chapter might get a little confusing and it strays _way_ off cannon, (not like the rest of the story hasn't) But it kinda matches the family reunion chapters. This is how I think Ianto's family decided to help Owen after he died. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood.

.

.

.

Jack could already tell it's going to be a long night. Martha had agreed to infiltrate the pharm, and now Tosh and Owen were on monitoring duty as they watched Martha.

Jack remembered listening to the two of them as he sat in his office, watching them on the CCTV feed.

"So uh, whatever happened to that pool tournament you were trying to organize last year?" Owen asked, obviously trying to start a conversation.

"That…. It was never a tournament." Tosh said slowly.

"Oh? Then what was it?"

"I was….. It was supposed to be a date." Tosh mumbled embarrassed.

"Sorry?"

"I was asking you out on a date then Owen." she sighed.

Owen starred for a moment. Then he sat down beside her for a moment. "You don't deserve me Tosh." he sighed.

"What? I'm not good enough for you?" Tosh asked irritably.

"No! No! I meant you don't deserve to be stuck with a guy like me." he said quickly. Then he let out another sigh before running a hand through his hair. "If I was the way I used to be, that's one thing. But let's face it Tosh. I'm a total wanker. I'm self centered, and I'm an alcoholic." he paused. "Damn, I can't believe I just admitted that to myself."

Tosh just stayed quiet.

"You didn't do anything wrong to deserve a right arse like me. You do deserve someone that'll really love you though. Personally I like James. I was pretty jealous of him at first because I realized he was everything I could no longer be. He's a very considerate guy Tosh, and I think he's great because he's the type of guy that would make his girl the center of his world. I'm not like that anymore Tosh. I think that was part of my problem when Diane left."

"Why's that?" Tosh asked softly.

"Because I realized just how bad I had become. I think that was why she left. I was too self centered. I became a jerk that just needs to stick to the pubs when I go out on the pull. You deserve far better then me Tosh. Stick with James. He'll take care of you better then I ever could."

"Thanks Owen." Tosh said with a tiny smile.

"Just no telling the other's about this conversation." he said quickly.

"What conversation?" Tosh asked with a grin.

Owen smiled. "That's my girl." he said hopping up. "So…. You know, I could just imagine what your kids would look like if you and James ever got married.

Tosh just laughed, shaking her head. "We'd have a family of little computer geniuses!"

"Oh good God. That's just what we needed." Owen sighed rolling his eyes.

But in his office, Jack had been smiling, proud of Owen for admitting things to not only himself, but to Tosh.

In the end though Jack should've realized that the day wasn't going to continue as smoothly.

Martha had gotten herself caught, they found out that the Pharm had been holding several aliens hostage and experimenting with them, and Owen had been killed.

Jack had realized that he couldn't give up on Owen just yet, so he went hunting for the second glove to try and bring Owen back long enough to say goodbye. That didn't go as planned though when he brought Owen back as a permanent zombie that wouldn't decompose and that just lead to more and more problems as Owen couldn't accept his new condition. It had also sparked an argument between Jack and Ianto who had gotten after him about using the glove saying that he apparently hadn't learned his lesson the first time, and Jack knew he was right.

Jack was at a loss for what to do about poor Owen, luckily Ianto appeared to have a solution.

The second giant of his family was called in to help Owen cope with being a dead doctor.

"How can someone know what it's like to be a dead doctor?" Martha asked as she sat with Ianto and Jack in the office.

"Just trust me. My Grandpa Ashtor knows plenty on the subject." Ianto said with a tiny smile.

"If you say so." she sighed.

At that moment Stella called down telling them that their guest had arrived in the tourist office and that she was sending him down to the hub.

Jack stood up and followed Ianto and Martha out into the main area where Tosh and Gwen were working.

After a moment the alarm sounded and the cog door rolled back to reveal the giant in brown slacks and green shirt, leaning on a cane as he ducked through the door.

Ianto had run forward and hugged the man.

"Careful kiddo! You'll knock me over, I'm having a bit of a rough day." he laughed hugging Ianto.

"Sorry Grandpa." he muttered, blushing as he let go.

"Hello Mr. Ashtor." Jack said walking up and shaking hands with the giant.

"Hello Jack, it's good to see you again." said Leon with a smile. Then he got a surprise when tiny little Tosh hugged him as well. "And hello Toshiko! Did you get taller?"

Tosh blushed a little. "High heels." she admitted with a smile making him chuckle.

"So I hear you need me to help a doctor cope with being dead?" he asked.

"I beg your pardon, but who are you?" Gwen asked bewildered.

"Grandpa Ashtor." Jack, Tosh, and Ianto all said in unison.

After Gwen and Martha had been introduced they led Leon down to the autopsy bay where Owen was sitting with his head on the desk, muttering to himself, obviously still disappointed in being unable to help the old man having a heart attack.

"Not doing so well is he?" Leon whispered to Jack.

"That's why we were hoping you could help him." Jack whispered back.

Leon walked down to the autopsy bay and cleared his throat trying to get Owen's attention. But when that didn't work he banged the edge of his cane against the desk.

Owen shot up and glared at the man. "Who the hell are you?" he snapped.

Leon didn't seemed phased though. "Hello Dr. Harper. I'm here to help you."

"You can't help someone who's dead!"

"You can help someone who's dead, you just can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped." he said calmly.

Owen let out a scoff. "And how are you going to help me?"

"Well you're obviously a decent doctor even though you're dead. I'm here to help you be a great doctor again."

"I can't be even a decent doctor if I can't even perform basic CPR! I have no breath! I don't even have feeling so it's not like I could take someone's pulse!"

"Yes well, there is a solution to the later."

"No there's not! You can't help me you wanker! Now get out of my autopsy bay and let me wallow away in my self pity!" he yelled, then he slammed his head on the desk hard enough to make everyone wince. "You're probably not even a doctor!"

But Leon just grabbed his coat collar and lifted him upright. "Now you listen to me young man! I've been a doctor for over sixty years! I served in three wars, and I was dead for twenty five years! You apparently give up too easily! Just because you're dead, that doesn't mean you can't help people! I didn't even have a body, just a slightly solidified soul, but that didn't stop me from taking care of my family members when they were sick! Now get this through your thick skull!" he growled, tapping Owen on the head with the end of his cane as Owen struggled. "Your friends depend on you! Dead or not, they depend on you to keep them healthy and help them when they're hurt! Now I will help you through this whether you want to or not. If you cooperate, then you'll be just fine, if not, then you'll find out why the entire crew of three different hospital ships were terrified of me! You Got that?"

Owen just nodded hastily with an undignified squeak and Leon dropped him back into his chair.

"Good. Now let's try this again." Leon said with a smile. Then he held out his hand "Hello Dr. Harper, I'm Dr. Ashtor, and I'm here to help you."

"He… hello." Owen mumbled, tentatively reaching out and shaking the man's hand.

"There now, that was a much better introduction was it not?"

Owen just nodded again, wide eyed and terrified.

"Your grandpa doesn't play around, does he?" Jack whispered to Ianto, feeling somewhat terrified of the man himself.

Ianto just smiled and shook his head. "He's the original terrifying commander of the family." he told him.

"Now then, as for the solution to the loss of your basic senses, we need to take a bit of a field trip to London today." Leon explained.

"What good is that going to do?" Owen asked slowly.

"My sister in law Abby has just what we're looking for to help you out." he said, hefting Owen right out of his seat.

"Jack?" Owen asked slowly.

"Come on Owen, let's go." Jack said. "Martha, I'm leaving you in charge while we're gone, if you need anything from the archives, ask Stella, otherwise Gwen and Tosh can help you with whatever you need."

Martha nodded in understanding.

"Poor Russ get's left with the girls apparently." Owen muttered as he led the way out of the autopsy bay. Then he gave Owen and accusing look. "This was your idea, wasn't it tea boy?"

"Just trust me on this Owen." said Ianto. "You'll be much happier in the end."

Owen just shook his head, obviously at a loss for words which was quite a rarity for him.

Soon the four men were on a train, deciding that they couldn't pile into Ianto's small car very well since the girls needed the SUV in case of an emergency.

Jack and Ianto sat together on one side of the aisle and Owen constantly shifted uncomfortably in his seat beside Leon on the other side.

"You can quit squirming now Dr. Harper. You're just going to wear down the seat faster." Leon mumbled, turning the page of his book.

Owen glanced over to see Ianto and Jack peacefully napping together. Then he sat back in his seat with a heavy sigh.

"Tell me sir, why did you become a doctor in the first place?" Leon asked, closing his book and looking at Owen.

"To try and save people I guess." he shrugged. "I wanted to help others, kinda hoping that I'd feel better about my own life." He looked up at the giant beside him. "Why did you?"

"I just found I was good at medicine." he shrugged. "I was twenty two when I finished basic med school. I was stationed on Pearl Harbor during the attack."

"If you're that old, why do you look so young?"

"That's a very long story." he said honestly. "How did you die?"

"Gun shot wound to the chest. You?"

"Accidental morphine overdose. Like I said, long story."

Owen just nodded a bit, leaving it at that. But then he noticed a little boy in the seat in front of him, peaking over the head rest at them.

"Can we help you young man?" Leon asked kindly.

The boy finally showed the rest of his face and Owen saw that he was a little guy that couldn't have been more then four or five years old. "Are you guys doctors?" he asked curiously.

"We are." Leon confirmed.

"Well, I was kinda wonderin', do you got a band-aid? I got a cut on my finger, and I don't wanna wake my mummy." he said holding out his finger so they could see the small paper cut that was slowly beginning to bleed.

"I just may have what you're looking for." the giant smiled, reaching into the inside pocket of his coat. Then he pulled out a wrapped adhesive bandage. "This should do the trick." he said unwrapping the bright, neon green bandage, then he took off the little strips and gently wrapped it around the boy's finger. "There you are now. All better."

"Thanks doctor." the boy giggled. Then he ducked back down in his seat.

Owen looked up at Leon in curiosity. "You have neon colored band-aids in your coat pocket?"

Leon chuckled. "I have a grandson that's serving redemption. When you go from being a twenty one year old to a three year old, you tend to loose your balance." he said. "He's covered in these because he falls everywhere."

"You told him that we were both doctors." Owen pointed out, ignoring the fact that he said his twenty one year old grandson was now three.

"Well we are." Leon told him. "Always remember Dr. Harper, once a doctor, always a doctor, dead or not."

"Okay…. I'll keep that in mind. So anyway, why are we going to your sister in law's?"

"It's a bit odd. But she has something that will help you regain at least most of your senses. With touch though, it's not all of it. But you can feel pressure, temperature, you'll just have a bit of trouble with texture, the best one though, is you will be able to eat and drink."

Owen snapped his head up to look at the man. "Seriously? I'll be able to drink again?"

"Now granted, when it comes to alcohol, you can't very well get tipsy anymore, but you'll probably be able to taste it. It's kind of like….. You don't need to eat, but it will give you a sense of normalcy."

"And I won't have to sit on my head to dump it all out of my stomach?" he inquired.

"I take it you tried to drink after you died?"

Owen nodded. "That day turned into quite a disaster."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it?" he asked.

At first Owen debated, but in the end, he let out a heavy sigh and began explaining the whole fiasco his death had caused.

.

Jack had to admit it felt somewhat odd to be walking around London with his dead medic and a giant, especially since they were going to meet Ianto's Aunt Abby.

It had been about a ten minute walk from the train station to an old townhouse downtown where Leon unlocked the door and lead them inside.

Jack looked around as Leon hung up his coat on the coat rack. It was a small house and there were two men sitting in the living room watching television.

Then a middle aged woman came out of the kitchen.

"Well it's about time you lot got here! We've been waiting all morning!" she said, joining them in the hallway.

"Jack, Owen, this is my Aunt Abby." Ianto said, introducing them.

"It's nice to meet you Owen." she said, gently hugging the medic. Then she turned to Jack as Leon moved into the living room. "And look at you Captain Harkness. You look like you've only aged a few years. Goodness, last time I saw you, I believe you and Algy were still fooling around weren't you? You boys used to spend so much time at the pub."

Jack starred. He hadn't thought of Algy in so many years. He hadn't even been thirty years old at the time, yet here was this woman, remembering him and Algy together.

"Aunt Abby's been around for longer then she'd lead you to believe." Ianto said with a smile.

"Algy? God…. I was only in my twenties then." Jack muttered, shaking his head. "That was literally forever ago."

"Yeah, you're right, that was forever ago." Owen snorted.

"The height of the London blitz was the last time I saw Jack." said Abby with a smile. "A good sixty five years ago about. Now then, Mr. Harper, I'd like you to come with me. I do believe I have just the thing to help you with your little 'death' problems."

Owen glanced at Ianto who smiled. "Go on Owen, it's alright. She won't bite. Just beware of Trainor. He does bite."

"Oh Ianto, cut that out." Abby said, playfully swatting at him. Then she took Owen's hand and tugged him down the hall and up the stairs.

"Is he going to be alright?" Jack whispered.

"He'll be just fine." Ianto said reassuringly. Then he led Jack into the living room. "Jack, you remember my Uncle Travis? And this is Grant. Grandpa Ashtor's son."

Both men said hello.

"You look younger then I do." Jack said to Travis Ashtor. "But older then Roderick."

Travis laughed. "Last time I saw you Mr. Harkness, was about seventy years ago." he said. "That whole crazy Torchwood group got mixed up with us."

Jack smiled. "I hate to say this, but I'm still a part of that crazy Torchwood group."

"Yeah, but from what I heard, Torchwood three is just crazy, not evil."

"Yes we're crazy, I'll give you that one." Jack agreed.

"I heard you were insane enough to attend dad's wedding."

"Yes, now see, this is why I get confused though. You call Alistair dad, but Alistair calls your little brother Grandpa, and Ianto calls you Uncle when he's Alistair's little brother. Seriously? I mean, I may be an immortal from another planet in the 51st century, but at least if I tried to draw out my family tree, I could."

"That's why we don't do family trees Jack." Ianto reiterated with a smile making everyone laugh.

"And that is why you're right to consider aliens quite normal." Leon added with a smile.

"By the way, I heard Abby talking about Algy, you know, he never forgot about you. He kinda missed you when you disappeared." Travis added. "That was around that time when that strange bomb fell near Albion hospital, remember that? There was that creepy kid with the gas mask and all of the other people that turned into those strange creatures."

Jack could hardly believe that there was someone that could recall some of the events surrounding Jack's meeting of the Doctor in Ianto's family. "That was over a hundred years ago for me Travis." he admitted.

"Right, forgot about that."

"What was that about a strange bomb?" Ianto asked.

"And a creepy kid?" Grant inquired.

"It's a very, very long story that involves a lot of crazy things." Jack sighed.

"Right then." Travis said. "Though while we're on the subject of old friends, you'll never guess who I saw last month Ianto."

"Who?" the Welshman inquired.

"That navigator of yours. You remember Nate Baskins?"

"No way! You saw Baskins? How is he?"

"Sixty years later and he's still a nutcase. I'm amazed they never put him in a loony bin." Travis said honestly.

Ianto laughed. "They tried. He figured out how to escape his straight jackets and he kept complaining that he wanted to fly. That's why he was a part of my flight crew." he said.

Jack was suddenly very lost. "Wait? What's going on now?"

"Didn't Ianto tell you he got stuck back in WWII?" Leon said with a smile.

"Yeah, but he didn't tell me what he did." Jack said slowly.

"I got stuck as a bomber pilot. A sixteen year old bomber pilot." Ianto said with a smile. "They didn't know how old I was, just that I could fly. I got put in the misfit crew. But we somehow managed to survive fifty missions together. All of us. Baskins was our navigator, and he had quite a few screws loose."

This was quite a revelation to Jack, but at least now he wasn't the only one that went through some sort of traumatic war experience.

"I actually saw your old friend Taylor recently too." said Leon. "The one that lost his arm during the Anzio invasion?"

"And how was Taylor?" Ianto asked.

"He's doing fine. Getting up their in age of course. He's got five great grandchildren now."

"Wow, good for Taylor."

"That reminds me Ianto, you're great coat is still in the upstairs hallway closet from the last time you visited. Back when you were still in college. Abby just washed it last night figuring you'd want it back." Travis said with a smile.

Ianto suddenly grinned before he got up and ran down the hallway.

"So Ianto was a bomber pilot? That's a bit odd." Jack said, still fairly surprised.

"And a very good one from what I heard." Travis said. "They say that since he was so young they figured he'd die within the first mission or so, so they put him with what they considered the misfit crew figuring none of them would survive. Instead they became one of the only flight crews to never loose a man in the first twenty five missions, let alone fifty."

"And that also explains why he runs things so well when he needs to." Jack admitted, finally understanding where Ianto really learned his leadership. But it also told him that he went through quite a few more traumatic experiences then he let on, because he knew that most bomber pilots became scarred for life.

"Alistair was always encouraging him to be a leader." Leon said with a smile. He reached over to pick up a picture on the table beside the chair he was sitting in, then he handed it to Jack. "That was when Ianto was fifteen."

Jack smiled at the picture.

It was a young Ianto beside Alistair, obviously in the giant's dress whites shirt which was covered in ribbons. But Jack couldn't help but find the teen adorable. He looked like a very small child trying on his daddy's uniform. The white dress shirt hung down to his knees, and the sleeves looked to be nearly a foot and a half past the boy's fingertips. He was smiling as he tried to lift the white combination cover off of his head enough to see since it was obviously far too big for him. And standing next to him was a laughing Alistair, looking at him with brotherly affection.

"Alistair told him that he'd look good in a set of dress whites and gold wings. Ianto almost joined the Navy, but he was recruited by Torchwood London instead." Travis said.

Just then Ianto walked back into the living room. "What are you guys looking at?"

"You looked adorable wearing your brother's uniform." Jack chuckled, still looking at the photograph. He felt Ianto standing beside him.

"I remember that picture!" he said with a chuckle. "That was about ten years ago."

Jack looked up and was surprised to find Ianto wearing a greatcoat that looked similar to Jack's RAF coat, but it was olive drab with American sergeant insignias on the sleeves. "I always did say that my coat suited you, and would you look at that, you have one that looks almost the same." he said with a grin.

"My friend Taylor gave it to me. It was his coat and it became my favorite." Ianto said honestly. "Of course, even after nine and a half years, it's still too big. It's the same size as your coat."

Jack just chuckled and shook his head, knowing he was going to have fun with Ianto and his old coat when they got home. He had to admit, Ianto looked almost as sexy in the green greatcoat as he did in his suits. He made a mental note to ask Ianto to wear it and nothing but next time they had some late night fun.

After about twenty minutes Abby finally brought Owen back downstairs calling everyone into the kitchen for tea.

"So, how'd it go Owen?" Jack asked with a smile as they all gathered around the table while Travis helped Abby with the tea.

"In all honestly, I feel very funny. Do you know how many different glowing, brightly colored liquids I was forced to drink?" Owen asked making everyone smile. "One of them was glowing hot pink, and another was this weird green, and I swear to God it moved on it's own in the bottle!"

"Of course it moved dear, the green potion will essentially replace your blood and it has to move on it's own since your heart isn't beating." Abby said.

"Well what's creeping me out is that I can actually feel it moving through my veins. I'm officially freaked out now!"

"You can feel it?" Jack asked.

"Yeah! And it's scaring me!"

"The point is you can feel it Owen." Jack pointed out.

"Well what do you know? I can feel." Owen mumbled, as if just now realizing the fact.

"It'll get easier once you get used to everything." Abby said kindly as she set cups of tea in front of everyone including Owen. "At least you'll be able to enjoy most things again."

"True. And look Jack! My fingers are healed!" he said with a grin as he held up his hand and wiggled the previously irreparable digits. I think she told me that the bright orange stuff I had to drink will actually help me repair myself."

"And you're figuring it out quite nicely." Abby told him, patting his shoulder.

"I'm freaked out and excited all at once!"

Jack found himself laughing a bit. Owen was definitely acting very different and it was actually in a good way for once. He looked at Ianto who was smiling as well.

Suddenly a little white dog covered in curly fur trotted into the kitchen. "I wouldn't drink out of that cup if I were you Ianto." he said, making Owen and Jack jump.

Ianto looked down at his tea cup and balked. "Aunt Abby!" he sighed.

"Abby darling, what have we said about keeping the tea cups for your potions separate for the normal tea cups?" Travis sighed.

"Oops! That was supposed to be Owen's tea cup." Abby said, taking the cup from Ianto and handing it to Owen. "It's got the permanent catalyst to keep the potions working in his body."

"I am amazed you actually warned me Trainor." Ianto told the dog. "That's not like you to be so kind."

"Well don't get used to it." the dog scoffed. "I'd just as soon prefer not to see you grow pink fur everywhere like last time Abby got the cups mixed up."

"Why do I get the feeling he's like Aldair?" Jack asked.

"He's like Aldair, Owen and I put together." Ianto said. "He's to the point that cheeky doesn't even begin to describe him."

"It's…. a talking dog." Owen muttered. "I'm sitting here, dead, having tea with a giant, a lady that gave me fifty different magical potions, an immortal, and a talking dog. My God, what a day."

"Welcome to the family Owen." said Ianto with a chuckle as he took a new cup of tea from Abby.

"We're definitely one of a kind." Grant chuckled.

"And considering you're now a zombie medic, you fit in lovely with the bunch." Trainor said snarkily. "Look at that! Amazing isn't it? What a home I'm trapped in."

"No one cares about your opinion Trainor. We all know you're a jackass in a dog's body." Travis said.

"No one cares about your opinion either you drunken looser!" Trainor snapped at him. "Twelve beers in one sitting. You and Roderick set records that day, and none of them were good."

"Back off you fuzzy little bastard." Travis snapped back.

Jack and Owen glanced at each other, obviously lost as Travis and the dog went at each other with harsh words.

"Do they always do this?" Jack asked.

"You get used to them." Leon shrugged, taking a sip of his tea.

"They'll just keep at it until Leon get's tired of it and decides to shut them both up." Abby told them.

"I do believe that the day you and Roderick woke up in the same bed after drinking was the day we realized you were gay." Trainor quipped.

"Fuck off you stupid little dog." Travis snapped, turning red.

"Trainor, if he was completely gay, he and Abby wouldn't of gotten married." Leon pointed out.

"You on the other hand seem to fancy that big butch german shepherd down the street." Travis pointed out.

"Ooh! That was a low blow you depressed arse!" Trainor growled.

"I got out of depression once I died, though maybe that's because I didn't have to put up with you anymore. I'd rather spend time with Cameron and we tried to kill each other."

"Yes, because we all know that it takes a hard headed idiot to understand one." Trainor said.

Jack and Owen just kept watching the two confront each other while everyone else continued to silently drink their tea till about five minutes later when Leon finally got annoyed and barked. "THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH!" causing Trainor to scamper out of the room with a terrified whimper.

"And now we can finish afternoon tea in peace." Ianto said as if it was normal.

"Is that like… an everyday occurrence in this household?" Owen asked slowly.

"They usually go at it every few hours." Grant said.

"And they've been doing it for about seventy years." Leon said.

"Seventy years, how often do you repeat the same insults?" Jack asked curiously.

"Only a few get repeated. Like Trainor just enjoys calling me a drunken ass." Travis said. "Of course that one was pretty true so I never really deny it. And Abby, I really do think that dog is gay."

"He is dear." said Abby. "He was actually human at one point if you do recall."

"Trainor was human?" Jack really couldn't figure things out in this family. "What happened?"

"He was a wizard that was quite full of himself and got into a lot of trouble. His punishment is to be my obnoxious dog for the rest of his unnaturally long life. But yes, he was a homosexual human. He's just adapted his preferences to dogs." Abby explained.

Owen suddenly hit his head on the table making everyone jump slightly. "My brain feels like it's fried trying to understand this family." he said, his voice muffled against the table.

"Which means it's probably time to get you back to Cardiff so you can surround yourself with the normalcy of aliens." Leon said, setting down his cup with a sigh. "We should probably keep you away from the family reunions as well."

"Oh God! There's more?" Owen gasped.

"Yeah, we should keep him away from the family reunions." Travis agreed.

So everyone said goodbye and four of them left heading back to Cardiff, hoping to have a normal night.

Deciding that Owen could probably handle himself for the night, they let him take a taxi home from the train station, Leon caught a taxi to his hotel, and Jack and Ianto caught a taxi to the hub.

Once they figured everything was shut down and in order, all of the girls going home and Stella spending the night as Russell's, Ianto drove them home to their flat.

At home Jack got his wish, stripping Ianto's suit off, leaving the young man in the old olive drab greatcoat, while he wore nothing but his blue RAF coat. In his opinion, that turned into one of Jack's favorite nights along side the naked hide and seek that they would still play in the hub after everyone else had gone home and Stella stayed at Russell's.

"I think next time we play naked hide and seek in the hub, winner get's to wear the loser's greatcoat as he fucks him." Jack said with a smile, as the two caught their breath, Jack lying on top of his lover.

Ianto laughed, his face flushed red from their activities. "I think I second that decision. But for now, I do believe it's my turn Captain." he said, with a sexy smirk, and with that he flipped Jack over so he was on top before capturing the older man's lips in a heated kiss, obviously ready for the second round.

That night became one of Jack's favorite memories, one he knew he'd remember for a very, very long time, and a memory he knew he would love recreating whenever he got the chance.

.

.

.

A/N: Like I said, this chapter was a bit crazier then I intended, but I do love the obnoxious little dog, and I did feel bad for Owen loosing everything when he died, so I wanted to help him the only way that this crazy family can... magic! Anyway, a crazy chapter with some interesting Janto at the end, (I always did feel like Ianto deserved his own greatcoat). I hope you guys didn't get too lost! I'm sorry if you did. Leave me a review and let me know, and hopefully next chapter might be a little more normal.


	52. diaries, gifts, weddings and selfishnes

A/N: okay, since I skipped yesterday, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to post another tonight, I gave you guys a very nice long chapter with a little bit of everything, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I will never own Torchwood unless I became a billionaire and somehow convinced Russell T. Davies to give it up, meaning it's never going to happen.

.

.

.

"So, how is your grandpa going to help Owen today?" Jack asked as Ianto drove them to the hub.

"He'll probably spend time helping Owen get used to having limited senses. I know grandpa Ashtor took a while to figure out how to feel someone's pulse. You have to figure out how to determine one pressure from another. Luckily Owen doesn't have his own pulse to get in the way."

"That just sounds weird." Jack sighed.

Ianto chuckled softly. "At least Owen will be able to have something normal in his current state." he pointed out.

"True." Jack sighed. "Of course, now I feel like an ass for bringing him back. Now he really can't have a normal life."

"He could. You just have to find the right type of person that can deal with his personality and his physical issues."

"Great, so we have to find him a similarly narcissistic necrophiliac and it'll be just fine." Jack said sarcastically.

"In you're lifetime I'm sure you've managed to meet a few." Ianto said, rolling his eyes.

"Actually no. Well I've met narcissistic people, and I've met some odd necrophiliacs in my lifetime. Not a crowd I'd want to go near." Jack said pointedly. "I knew this one that had this really weird habit of…"

Ianto just shook his head with a huff, interrupting him. "You know what, we're just going to stop this conversation right there. We don't need to be talking about this stuff with my grandpa in the car." he sighed as they pulled up to the hotel, the giant already waiting for them.

"That… might be a good idea." Jack agreed.

When they arrived at the hub, the three of them were surprised to find Owen, Gwen, Martha and Tosh already there.

"I'm telling ya, the lady had a gay talking dog." Owen was saying. "A very mean gay talking dog."

Gwen scoffed at him. "Okay, number one, dogs don't talk unless it's some weird alien dog, two, since when are dogs gay? Seriously Owen."

"No really! And, the weird green stuff she had me drink actually moved on it's own in the bottle, and the orange stuff fixed my fingers, and the pink…. I can't quite remember what that one was for…."

"The pink was essentially what replaced your entire digestive system Dr. Harper." said Leon as he hung up his coat on the coat rack.

"Did you guys give him some special drugs or something?" Gwen asked.

"He's dead Gwen. Drugs would have no effect on him." Ianto said, as if it was obvious.

"Where did you lot even take him?" Martha asked.

"To Ianto's Aunt Abby." Jack explained. "What really freaked me out about that lady though was that she actually remembered me back when I used to fool around with this army officer named Algy. That was nearly a hundred and forty years ago."

"Oh? You weren't freaked out by the gay talking dog?" Ianto quipped with a smile.

"Dogs aren't gay!" Gwen protested. "And they don't talk!"

"Trainor wasn't always a dog." Leon said. "Being a little dog is his eternal punishment for being an asshole as a human. Now he just tries to pick fights with my brother, and yes he is homosexual."

"See! I told you! A gay talking dog!" Owen said triumphantly, crossing his arms against his chest.

"I want to see that." Gwen said stubbornly.

"No you don't." Ianto said. "He's got a filthy mouth for such a tiny thing, and that's sober. God help you if he get's into the beer at the pub, let alone the hard liquor."

"The dog drinks too? Oh my God, your family terrifies me Ianto!" Owen sighed.

"Oh come now, you've only met what? Four of us. Five if you count the unusual furry creature." Leon said. "Now, then to the autopsy bay with you, we've got work to do."

Owen sighed and got up following Leon down to the autopsy bay to begin working for the day.

"He's going to have a long day." Ianto said with a tiny smile. Then he headed down to the archives for most of the day.

Around lunch time though Jack came searching for him.

"Ianto? Ianto? Hey! Where are you?" Jack called.

"Rydw i prysur Jack!" Ianto called back with a smile, hidden amongst the shelves as he continued sorting through several older files he had been meaning to sort through for a while.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack inquired, poking his head around the corner to look at him.

"I said I'm busy Jack. Why?" Ianto explained, looking at him.

"Because it was almost time for lunch, but Russell can't figure out what you want when you're all the way down here." Jack said with a smile.

"Oh. Well actually, I'm going to go have lunch out with James today. I promised him." he admitted, glancing at his watch. "I should be leaving right about now to be on time."

"Then you better go. I'm guessing it's going to be one of those brotherly chats isn't it?" Jack asked.

Ianto smiled and gave him a tiny kiss on the cheek. "Something like that. I haven't really had a whole lot of time to talk to him lately. I figured today was a perfect chance."

"Alright, I'll see you after lunch then." Jack said giving him a hug and a warm kiss. Then he headed back upstairs.

Ianto just shook his head with a chuckle before finishing up the last pile and leaving the hub for lunch.

About twenty minutes later Ianto was up in Mermaid Quay, sitting outside of a little café waiting for James to show up. After he had ordered, he sat with his right leg resting on his right knee, his cheek against his right hand as the fingers of his left hand twirled the unwrapped straw against his thigh.

"Well look at you all spiffy in your suit." James said, joining him.

Ianto smiled as he glanced at his watch. As always Ianto had been five minutes early, James had been right on time down to the second.

After the two had ordered, James began the conversation. "So, let me guess, this is going to be one of those 'you're my brother and you and my best friend were talking about marriage' conversations. Am I right?"

Ianto chuckled slightly. "You are getting a bit better at guessing the subjects. Not quite as good as me yet, but getting there."

James just smiled and shook his head before looking up at him. "So, the question is, is this an upset conversation, or a happy conversation?"

"A happy one." Ianto agreed. "I guess I just never quite expected you two to get that close."

"Are you disappointed?" he asked.

"Not disappointed, surprised." he pointed out. "Like I said, I just didn't expect it."

"I think it surprised the two of us when we began talking about it honestly. It started out hypothetically really. Tosh was telling me about how Gwen was practically bragging about being engaged. I know she'd never admit it, but I think Toshiko was getting slightly jealous."

Ianto nodded. "I did notice that." he admitted.

"I really do love her Ianto." James said honestly.

"I know you do James. I just want to hear what it is that makes you love her." he said with a smile. He was always the overprotective one making sure that people that were in love were definitely in love for the right reasons.

"She knows I'm not perfect for one." James admitted. "Like she knows I can't cook worth shit. Grilling is one thing. Actually cooking is another."

Ianto laughed. "I take it she heard about the incident with the fruit cocktail in your MRE?"

"A spectacular girl like Tosh hanging around me, of course the guys were going to tell her." James sighed. "The whole bit about how I accidentally cooked my fruit cocktail and ended up eating cold chicken cause I used up the little heat pack cooking the wrong thing. Then she heard about my attempt at cooking rice."

"Oh I do recall that one." Ianto said thoughtfully with a smile. Anyone close to James had heard about the day that he had rice overflowing not realizing that it practically quadrupled in size. "So what else?"

"She kicks my ass playing video games. Seriously. She kicks my ass, but she's kind enough to only brag about it between the two of us. She's just fun to have around. We enjoy cheering each other up after long days at work. Tosh is one of the few people I can talk to about just about anything. By the way, thank you for telling her that I was 'emo' as a teenager."

Ianto laughed again. "Look at it this way, I could have told her about the day that we were sent to the psychiatrist together and you threw a paper football and hit him in the eye."

"Don't you dare!" James protested. "I can tell her that the reason I went with you was because you bit the man complaining that you didn't want to be alone."

"She probably wouldn't believe you." Ianto said with a smile.

"Whatever. Anyway I can't explain everything to you. I just know that I love her."

Ianto saw the look of complete adoration on James's face as he talked about here, and that was what let him know that James was telling the truth.

"I think Tosh deserves a chance to be happy too." he admitted.

"Tosh always did say she wanted some form of an average life." he agreed. "That she wanted to get married and have family."

"I think seeing Gwen made her feel like she could never have that if she stayed with Torchwood and I went home." he said sadly. "Especially when Owen told her that she deserved someone better then him, I think that caught her off guard."

Ianto was surprised by that revelation. "Owen said that?"

"Yeah. I guess Owen decided he wasn't good enough for her because of the way he's become over the years."

"Well that's surprising." Ianto said honestly.

"I want Tosh to be happy. I want to stay with her. I even told her that if she wanted to stay with Torchwood, I'd resign my commission and stay here with her. My six years is up at the end of my eight months. I can resign and become a civilian, work on getting citizenship here, stay with her. Instead she told me she'd rather be the one to retire and go with me instead. That surprised me more then anything."

"Working for Torchwood, let's just say your chance of living past twenty five isn't very good, let alone thirty. Not a job you'd want to have if you're trying to raise a family."

"So you're telling me you're likely to die young as well." James asked softly.

"I accepted it long ago." Ianto shrugged as he leaned back in his seat. "To be honest, I'm lucky I've lived as long as I have. I could have died during Canary Wharf, I could've died in the Brecons the week before Alistair's wedding. That's why I had those broken ribs. I'm lucky to have Jack, and especially Stella. I just take each day as they come along and try and smile at the end of the night. That's what you do working for Torchwood."

James looked down at his plate and let out a heavy sigh. "So that's why she'd rather leave then?"

"Tosh wants a family James. She always has. You can't try and raise a newborn in an environment like ours, knowing you could be mauled by a rouge weevil the next day, or eaten by something the rift spits out at the end of the week. It doesn't work. Being a SEAL, it's different James. A terrorist can have a bomb, or a gun, but they can't eat you. They can't spit some sort of acid that with dissolve flesh and nasty claws. You have armor that can protect you against most known elements, us, well, you can't always protect yourself against something from another planet that you don't understand."

"I suppose you have a point."

"If you really love Tosh, you'll take her away and keep her safe while visiting occasionally. Let her have the family she's always wanted in a safe environment. It's not like the two of you would never see any of us. Especially Jack and I."

"I hate to say this Ianto, but you just made me realize that if something comes out of that rift tonight, I may not see you or Tosh tomorrow."

"Then make each minute count for now James. That's all you can do. Besides, I'm sure if Jack and Tosh knew that she had a life to look forward to, they might decide to let her ease her way out of field operations. That's what I'd do anyway."

"So I should ask her as soon as possible now that I've got the ring huh?"

Ianto starred at him with a raised brow. "You got one?" he asked in surprise.

"I went to London yesterday." he admitted blushing. "I waited for her to leave, then I took one of her favorite rings out of her jewelry box so they could make sure it was the right size." He reached into a pocket and took out a little velvet box. "It had it custom made just for her." he said proudly, handing to Ianto.

Ianto took the box and opened it to see a very impressive engagement ring.

It had one large perfectly cut heart shaped diamond in the center and five smaller oval ones surrounding it so it looked like a flower. The band was a beautiful silver and embedded in the silver was a golden stem and several tiny leaves that wrapped around the band.

"You had this made for her?" he asked in awe.

"Yup. I spent a lot of time thinking about it. I wanted it to be just as special as her."

"That must have cost you a pretty penny." he admitted, handing the ring back.

"A little over ten thousand pounds." he admitted with a blush. "The middle diamond was like… the best they had, then I had to pay for the band and the fact that it was a custom job."

Ianto choked a little when he heard the price. But then he realized something. "Gwen is going to be jealous. Which is perfect." Ianto said with a smile. "Apparently now it's become a habit of Tosh and I, we like to make Gwen jealous."

James laughed a little. "That is very unlike you Ianto. Why would you do such a thing?"

"I started because she flirted with Jack too much."

James laughed a little. "Hey, I may be straight, but I must admit, he's good lookin' guy." he said. "I'm sure girls are jealous of you just because of the way he gives you his undivided attention. Or maybe they're jealous of him. In all honestly you should see how jealous girls get of Alonso when he's with Gareth."

Ianto laughed. "Well I know when it comes to Gwen, she's definitely jealous of me. You should've seen the look on her face when I admitted that Jack was the last person I snogged. She looked like she was going to kill me!"

"I personally think Gwen just likes to be the center of attention. Don't get me wrong, she's a nice lady, and I can tell she's a dependable friend, but I think she hates it when someone else is the center of attention besides her."

"Well with that ring, I get the feeling Tosh will be the center of attention." Ianto said with a smile. "She deserves to be spoiled."

James laughed. "She's a very simplistic person, and I love that about her, but if she marries me, hell, I'm going all out extravagant for that."

"Tell you what, if she marries you, I'll get her wedding gown. Whatever one she wants, I will get it for her." Ianto tossed in. "Especially considering you just emptied about half of your life savings for that ring."

"well then, that just leaves the other half of my savings for the rest of the wedding. But first, she has to say yes."

"I'm pretty sure she will James." Ianto said honestly. "You make her happy."

James just smiled proudly. "Oh, by the way. Tommy….. Think we could bring him out here to say hello?"

"You figured it out did you?" Ianto asked with a smile.

"Please, he looks almost exactly like he did back in 1918. Just a little younger. I just haven't told Tosh. I'd rather surprise her."

Ianto smiled. "I heard Tommy beat you at video games too."

"Getting beaten by a boy from the turn of the century. I knew I wasn't great, but I didn't think I was that bad either." James sighed, shaking his head.

"The only way you could be great at video games is if you either sat on them all day, which Tosh would hate you for, or if you made the things yourself like Tucker does."

"Tucker boggles me!" James sighed. "Where he gets the ideas for his video games is beyond me. Crazy made up planets and insane aliens."

"I hate to say this James, but I don't think Tucker made them all up. I think he knows some of his father's adventures. From what I've discovered, Tucker is part alien himself."

"I did hear some of the other kids talking about Tucker having two hearts."

"Yeah. I guess Jack knows Tucker's father the Doctor."

"Ooh, the fabled Doctor huh?"

"So they say." Ianto admitted with a nod. Then he glanced down at his watch. "Anyway, I better get back to work James."

"Hey, I hear grandpa Ashtor's here. I haven't seen grandpa since I left. Think we could get together after you get off?"

"I'll see and let you know. Okay?"

After saying goodbye to James Ianto headed back to work and found most of the team gone meaning they had left on a mission. Owen was still in the autopsy bay with Leon though.

"Oi tea boy! C'mere a minute!" Owen called as Ianto walked by.

"What's up Owen? Are you wanting to attempt drinking coffee?"

"No, I want to experiment with you!"

Ianto shook his head immediately. "You're not poking me with anything!" he protested.

"He's not going to poke you with needles Ianto. We're not that far yet." Leon chuckled. "He's figured out how to find my pulse, but I'm much larger and my pulse is obviously stronger. I want to see if he can find your pulse, since you're pretty average. Once he gets to the needle experiments, I'd rather let him work on a cadaver first."

Ianto scrunched up his nose for a moment, then figured that with Leon there, Owen was less likely to try and torture him anyway, so he reluctantly agreed.

After about fifteen minutes Leon was satisfied with the fact that Owen could find Ianto's pulse while he was fairly relaxed so Ianto was let go and he retreated to the archives for a while.

Ianto let himself get lost in the monotony of filing, but he was content, just letting his mind relax and stay empty for a while as he turned on the radio and let his music quietly filter through the cavernous underground space filling him with peace.

"Ianto?"

Ianto jerked and dropped the files he was holding in surprise before turning to see his giant grandfather standing beside him.

"I'm sorry Ianto, I didn't mean to startle you." Leon said with a kind smile.

"What are you doing down here Grandpa? How did you even find your way around here for that matter?" he asked as he picked up the files.

"I came to give you something while Owen is working on stitching an alien cadaver that the other's brought back." Leon said with a tiny chuckle. He held out five large journals.

Ianto looked at them and was surprised to see that the first three in the pile looked like his first three diaries since he had arrived in Cardiff.

"Alistair wanted me to give these to you. Apparently a gift to you from your other self, and a warning as well. Don't read too far ahead mind you. Once you catch up to the current date, only read the day you're on and no further then the next day, tempting though it may be."

Ianto took the top diary and noticed that the date and the handwriting was the exact same as his first diary in Cardiff. But the first sentence was different.

"Why…. Why give them to me?" he asked, looking up at the giant.

"I don't know the entire reason I just know the details. I'm just the messenger. But Alistair did say something about you having to fix your timeline. Apparently the first time around things went very wrong and your life didn't come out the way it was supposed to which is why you were told to change. You're supposed to change your life, and those of the people around you Ianto. These will help you do that by avoiding the same mistakes made the first time, not only by you, but by Jack, and even the rest of the team. According to Alistair, it's up to you to correct those mistakes. Does that make sense?"

"Correcting mistakes means I could end up changing more then just our lives." Ianto said, somewhat lost.

"Things were supposed to happen a relatively specific way the first time and it never did. That's why you're being told to change things. If I recall, Jack is a fixed point in time. Things aren't supposed to be changed around him, but in this case, everything needs to be changed so some rules of time and space are being broken by angels and demons alike to do so, to create this alternate universe and turn it into reality. Most of the world will remain the same. But those of us in your family, our lives were changed."

"Why were they changed?" Ianto asked.

"You weren't with us the first time Ianto. You were never rescued by your parents. That's why things changed drastically and Alistair had to go back to fix them. I suppose it's up to you to change the rest."

Ianto stood, starring at the diary in his hands, trying to absorb what he was being told. He was supposed to change his world. Jack's world. He had no idea why but he figured it must have been important so he tried his best to accept it.

"Anyway, you better catch up on your reading." Leon said, handing him the rest of the diaries. "I need to go check on our dear Doctor and see how he's doing." He gently kissed the top of Ianto's head, then left the archives.

After a moment Ianto went to his desk and sat down, picking up the first diary. He took a deep breath, then opened the first page and began to read.

What he found was a very different, somewhat depressing life.

There were no mentions of his loving family, of his happy life. Not even little Kit was in there. Lisa had been his girlfriend and he was trying to anything to rescue her. But the other Ianto had berated himself and nearly cried over his initial reaction to Jack Harkness. He had done his best to fade into the background, the team ignoring him, taking him for granted. The first sexual encounter with Jack had been to keep him from finding Lisa, then he had gone home and cried. It had led to a very tense relationship with the captain. But that had only been the beginning. Apparently the nightmare really started when Lisa woke up and terrorized the hub and the team, killing two innocent people. He had ended up suspended for a month, had been angry with himself and hateful of Jack.

Then it just continued from there. The case with the fairies showed a lot of unresolved tension between the other Ianto and his Jack. The trip to the Brecons had shattered him even more, leaving him ill to the point that he hadn't been able to eat for days. After that it skipped straight to Suzie coming back to life. It appeared that the two had found some type of tentative footing in their relationship keeping it strictly after hours and apparently never really acknowledging it as more then a shag on the side.

But when Jack and Tosh had gotten trapped in 1941 things had gotten even worse, Jack telling the real Jack Harkness that there had been no one, that Ianto had sided with the rest of the team in opening the rift, and when Jack had died, Gwen had sat with him, Ianto retreating to the office. He had been so relieved when Jack had come back but then Jack had disappeared leaving the other Ianto feeling abandoned and defeated.

Ianto let out a heavy sigh, looking away from the other life written in his handwriting. The nightmare that had been another life that he had been told to change. While he was glad that his life was changing everyday, that his life was something he could enjoy, he couldn't help but wonder what it was that made it so important for him to change. After another moment he looked down and continued to read.

As the diary continued the pages showed how angry Ianto had been with not only Jack, but with himself for letting himself fall for the man. He had let Gwen take charge of Torchwood, in fact, it appeared that he had let Gwen push him out of the way, pining for Jack's affection and he had let her. There was no mention of Stella.

He paused realizing that most of the people in his current life apparently didn't exist in the other life, or at the very least were never known to him. No Midnightstar or Midnight families, no Kit, no Alistair, no James leaving Tosh sad and lonely. No Grandpa Ashtor to help Owen after he had died. No adventure to WWII where he had made friends like Taylor, Donovan, and Baskins. No Angela, Tim, Jim, or Aldo. The relationship with Rhiannon had been tentative at best and when it came to his niece and nephew, well, there was tension there since he apparently didn't get along with kids. There was nobody. He had been alone, Jack being his only form of friendship until he had disappeared.

By the time he reached the second week of Jack's disappearance, he couldn't read any more. He put the diary's down in the drawer of his desk and sat the chair suddenly feeling distraught. If that had been what his life had been like, he was glad he had a second chance. But it was still hard to stomach, to read so many dark and depressed thoughts that had once been his.

Ianto jumped violently when he felt arms wrap around his neck from behind.

"Hey, you okay?" Jack asked worriedly.

Ianto let out a deep breath. "You just startled me, that's all." he sighed.

Jack gently ran his hands down to Ianto's chest, finding their way inside his suit jacket, before wrapping around his chest in a hug as he rested his cheek against Ianto's. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You've been down here for hours, everyone else has gone home, even Stella and Russell went home about an hour ago. All that's left is your grandpa."

"Sorry, I just got caught up in reading something." he muttered.

"Apparently not something happy. You look pretty upset." Jack said softly.

"It's….. a very long story. I'll explain another time, okay?"

"Alright then. But for now, how about we get out of here. James called and said something about meeting him and Tosh for dinner and your grandfather's getting hungry."

Ianto stood up and he suddenly felt worn down from his emotional roller coaster ride from reading the diaries. He hardly noticed when Jack was standing, their faces just inches away from each other.

"Seriously Ianto, I'm a bit worried now." Jack said, gently grasping his shoulders and looking into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Like I said, I'll explain another time. Let's go. I'm getting a little hungry."

Jack looked ready to ask again, but apparently decided against it then he led the way out of the archives.

"Well?" Leon asked as Jack went into his office to retrieve something.

"My life sucked." Ianto muttered as he grabbed his coat.

"That bad huh?" Leon asked softly.

"That bad." Ianto sighed. "Everybody I love in this life, it was like 95% of them didn't exist. The relationship I had with Jack was tenuous at best, I was a depressed recluse. My life sucked!"

"Well then, at least you were given the chance to change it."

"I know. But it's still kind of hard knowing." he admitted. Then he scrunched his nose as he remembered, "I let Gwen push me out of the way for Jack's affection." he grumbled.

Leon chuckled softly. Then he leaned over so he could whisper in Ianto's ear. "I think this time around Jack is so enamored with you that Gwen could jump up and down shouting 'look at me instead!' but he would never notice."

Ianto finally smiled a little as he chuckled softly. "You think?" he asked.

"I know." Leon said with a smile. Then he nodded to look behind him.

Ianto turned to see Jack walking up before he was enveloped in a tight hug.

"Feeling any better yet?" Jack asked.

Ianto grinned and hugged Jack back. "Feeling better." he admitted.

"Good. Just checking." Jack said affectionately.

"Well then, since we're all done here, I say we go meet James and Toshiko. I'm getting very hungry." Leon said, walking towards the cog door.

And with that the three of them left for dinner.

.

After a few more days Leon was apparently satisfied with Owen's progress so he decided it was time to leave, and Martha had agreed as well. So they all gathered around the cog door to say goodbye.

"I have something for you Owen." Leon had said with a smile.

Owen cocked his head to the side, obviously confused.

"Close your eyes." Leon told him.

Everyone was surprised as Owen did as he was told, closing his eyes.

Leon smiled and reached into his bag before pulling out a giant Doctor's coat which he draped over Owen's shoulders, and an old stethoscope that he put over Owen's shoulders.

Owen opened his eyes and laughed. The sleeves hung well past his fingertips and the coat hung down to his knees making everyone laugh as well since he looked like a very small child in large clothes.

Leon leaned down enough that he could look in Owen's eyes. "I saved thousands of soldiers wearing that coat, and I hope it brings you the same luck I had. Always remember Owen, once a doctor, always a doctor." he gently patted Owen on the head as if he was just a little boy.

Owen surprised everyone when he threw his arms around Leon's neck in a hug. "Thanks for all of your help Dr. Ashtor." he said.

Leon smiled and returned the hug.

"Holy shit!" Owen gasped as Leon lifted him a good foot and a half off of the ground, hugging him. "You're too tall! I don't like heights." he cried, holding onto Leon tightly as he buried his face in the giant's shoulder.

Leon gently set him down with a chuckled. Then he turned to Ianto. "And don't think I forget one of my absolute favorite grandsons."

Ianto blushed a bit but smiled anyway. Then he closed his eyes. He was surprised when he felt a large shirt slipped over his head, then something else set on top of his head. He opened his eyes when he heard laughter and discovered he couldn't see. He put his arms through the long sleeves of the shirt and lifted up the cap to find that he was wearing a very old dress whites shirt and a white combination cover.

"I remembered that I had wanted to give that to you after I saw your picture with Alistair at Abby's place. That was my set. Always remember to be the leader our family taught you to be Ianto." Leon said with an affectionate smile, gently tapping the top of the hat. "We didn't raise you to stand on the sidelines, we wanted you to stand out, which you do wonderfully, so keep it up, you got that?"

Ianto nodded with a smile before pouncing on the old man. But instead of crying out in shock when Leon lifted him off the ground, he laughed, remembering when he was younger and both his grandfather and his brother would lift him off of the ground.

Leon set him down with a smile. "Your brother was right when he said you looked very handsome in a set of dress whites and a pair of wings."

Ianto couldn't help but blush even more as he took off the hat and held it in his hands, made somewhat difficult since his hands were trapped in the elbow of the sleeve.

It turned out that Leon had brought something for everyone. Tosh had received a clear container that held a small jeweled dragon that sat on a bed of sand from Iwo Jima a marine had given him back in WWII after he had been injured in on the island as a token of appreciation for being saved. He gave Stella a piece of magic chalk that Roderick had sent for her to help her with her spells in a very special tin Leon had found in London in the 40's. Russell was given a very special book about dinosaurs. He gave Gwen an old but beautiful ornate photo frame for a wedding photo that matched a frame that Leon had with a picture of him and his wife Celia the day they had been married. As for Martha, Leon gave her his old doctor's bag which she appeared to have grown fond off since it was very old fashioned.

"Jack, I believe this once belonged to you. I remember finding it when I stayed with Alistair one summer as a child and he told me to hold onto it because it belonged to a very interesting gentleman."

Jack's eyes lit up when he saw the old blue RAF cover. "My cover! I haven't seen it in almost sixty years!" he said excitedly as Leon set it on his head. Then he took it off and looked at it closely. "It almost looks brand new!"

"Grant took very good care of it when he was a boy. He had it hung up in his room beside his uncle's cover, always wondering if he'd get the chance to meet the man that owned it."

"Can you tell Grant I said thanks for taking care of it?" he inquired with a smile.

"I will be sure to." Leon chuckled, hugging him.

After saying goodbye to Leon and Martha, Torchwood appeared to have gone back to normal despite the fact that Gwen's wedding was the next day.

Ianto noticed that Owen had a new found confidence about being able to care for people despite being dead. He had watched with a smile as Owen sat down at his desk in the giant coat, trying to manipulate the computer's mouse through the sleeve of the coat, but grinning none the less. After one last look at the medic Ianto had gone down to the archives where he had taken off the shirt and folded it neatly before setting it on the desk, the hat on top.

But he was surprised when Gwen came down to talk.

"Your grandpa's a pretty interesting guy Ianto." she said with a smile.

Ianto smiled as well when he saw that she was clutching the photo frame against her chest protectively.

"He's pretty normal compared to grandpa Jarrod." he tossed out with a smile.

Gwen's eyes widened in surprise. "What's up with Grandpa Jarrod?" she asked.

"Grandpa Jarrod's just all out odd. The childish brain surgeon of the family with an addiction to oreos and ice cream."

"So…. Your aunt really does have a gay talking dog?"

Ianto laughed. "He wasn't always a dog Gwen. My aunt's a potions master. A form of a witch I suppose. Trainor used to be a gay sorcerer back in like…. The 1920's, but he was really obnoxious and full of himself so something made his spell backfire and he's been a snarky dog ever since."

"So, Owen wasn't going crazy?" she asked slowly.

"Owen was not going crazy. And Trainor and Uncle Travis really do argue with each other about every couple of hours. The impressive thing is that they've hardly repeated any insults after seventy years."

"Ouch. That's some real hatred right there."

"Yeah it is." he sighed with a grin.

"So anyway, you're coming to the wedding tomorrow right Ianto?"

"I am." he confirmed with a nod.

"Good. And I told Tosh she should bring James. We never really get to see much of him do we?"

"They're both very busy people." Ianto told her. "So when they do get some down time together, they just like to make the best of it."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

Ianto smiled a tiny bit and shook her head. "You could learn a lesson from them Gwen." he told her gently. "Rhys seems to understand it."

Gwen regarded him thoughtfully, then she smiled. "I do believe you're right. I could learn a lesson from them and spend more personal time at home with Rhys."

He was glad that she appeared to have gotten the message he had been trying to send. He just hoped she went through with it.

"So…. Just how close are the two of them?" Gwen asked. "I mean, Tosh is definitely very happy with him and when she talks about him, the look on her face is nothing but pure adoration."

"Can you keep a secret Gwen?" he asked, hoping he was doing the right thing.

"Of course. When have I told anyone else's secrets?" she asked, feigning offence before she smiled at him.

"Good point. Anyway, I had lunch with James the other day, and he told me he wants to ask her to marry him."

Gwen's face lit up. "No way! Ooh! I hope he does!" she said bouncing excitedly.

"The question is when I suppose." he shrugged. "I hope it's soon."

"I say we nudge him and keep dropping subtle hints to him to tomorrow." she said with a smile. "Call me nosy, but I kinda want to be there to see it happen."

Ianto laughed. "When you see the ring he picked out, you will be jealous." he said honestly.

"Ooh, that fancy?"

"He emptied out half of his life's savings for a custom made engagement ring."

"Oh, that ring must be something then." she sighed. "You and Tosh sure are good at making me jealous."

Ianto found himself chuckling. "We are, are we?"

"Yup. You're just excruciatingly subtle about it." she said with an accusing smile.

"You're the one that would flirt with him." Ianto pointed out. Then he shrugged. "And let's just say I'm a bit possessive of the guy."

Gwen giggled. "A guy like Jack Harkness, you should be." she said. "I'm not the only girl that would flirt with him in a heart beat."

"That's the point." he said. "Always remember Gwen, Rhys is yours, Jack is mine."

"Got it. Though you did originally strike me as the traditional sort." she admitted with a shrug.

"What can I say, Jack is just special I suppose." he shrugged again. "Jack's the only guy I could ever see myself with. Otherwise I'd be with a girl."

"Well I say stick to Jack. Who else could understand what you do like he does? And I don't see me understanding him as well as you do. You're good for him."

"Thanks Gwen." he said, somewhat surprised.

"Be honest, how long does it take for you to turn that man into putty in your hands?"

Ianto laughed again. "The right kind of smirk and I get his attention, after that give me about ten seconds to make him breathless, thirty seconds to make him speechless, forty five to make his knees buckle, and by the end of the minute, he's ready to sink to the floor." he said.

"Oh now that's impressive." Gwen giggled again. "I could never do that. I can't even get Rhys that worked up, that fast. You're good. You'll have to give me some pointers so I can get Rhys to melt that fast."

Ianto smiled, he had to admit he was actually having fun talking to Gwen for once. So the rest of the afternoon they spent talking and laughing together about anything and everything.

.

The next day though, Gwen's wedding didn't exactly go according to plan when a nostrovite ended up impregnating the poor woman. But in the end everything turned out alright, aside from the fact that the D.J. had practically been eaten and Ianto ended up taking the man's place.

"So is this normal as far as Torchwood weddings go?" James had asked Ianto.

"No idea. This is the first Torchwood wedding I've ever been to." Ianto replied with a grin.

It had been a decent night, Ianto even getting brave enough to have a dance with Jack. He just didn't think it was Gwen that would be making him.

She had been dancing with Jack, but when she caught Ianto's eye and she was sure Jack wasn't looking, Gwen had started motioning for him to come take her place.

But Ianto had to admit, one of his favorite moments had been when Gwen had tossed her bouquet.

Behind the group of women, Jack, Rhys, Owen, Tosh, and James had been sitting at a table together, and James had been sitting beside Tosh, with one hand holding hers, and his head resting on his arm on the table since had been quite tired trying to rush from Hereford to Cardiff to make the wedding. Gwen had tossed the bouquet, but it had actually gone over the group and landed on James's back.

James had reached up and picked up the bouquet as everyone laughed. Then he smiled and handed it to Tosh, giving her a kiss on the cheek and making her blush.

Gwen turned to look at Ianto who was still at the DJ booth. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up with a wink making him laugh and letting him know that she had done the whole thing on purpose.

After the reception all of the guests had been retconed and were peacefully sleep.

"That's what I love about Torchwood." Ianto quipped. "By day, chasing the scum of the universe, by night, you're the wedding fairy."

After they had cleaned up and Rhys and Gwen turned down the retcon, everyone was ready to leave since it was getting early.

"I still can't believe you tossed your bouquet hard enough it landed on James." Tosh had told Gwen who had just giggled.

"I did it for a reason Tosh."

Tosh starred as everyone smiled and James blushed.

"For someone who dives out of a plane you look pretty nervous." Owen chuckled. He patted James on the back. "You okay there James?"

"I'm fine, why?" James inquired, but his voice was obviously a bit higher then usual.

"Oi, take the hint SEAL boy!" Rhys said with a grin, nudging James with his elbow. "I took my chance, now it's your turn!"

Tosh looked at him quizzically so James had gulped before getting on one knee, pulling out the box, and asking the question.

"Toshiko Sato, will you marry me?" he asked.

While everyone had expected Tosh to say yes, no one had expected her to pounce on him hard enough to send them both tumbling backwards onto the floor.

"Wow, I think we can take that as a yes." Ianto said with a smile as the two stood up.

"Sheesh, you weren't kidding when you said I'd be jealous of that ring." Gwen said with a grin as she looked at Tosh's engagement ring which was now on her finger.

"Wow, I think you put my ring to shame." Rhys whistled when he saw it making James turn red. "How much did that cost you?"

"Enough. But it was well worth it." he said with a smile.

"And look at that Tosh, now you really will be my sister." Ianto chuckled.

Tosh just giggled and pounced on Ianto in a hug too.

"You two better get home Tosh, I think James is about to fall asleep on his feet." Owen said with a smile.

"I do know how to fall asleep standing up." he admitted with a sleepy smile and a yawn. "That's how I used to survive the long inspections during BUD/S. You take the ten minute light nap you can get while your sleeping."

"As long as you're not napping when you jump in with the sharks dear, you'll be just fine." Tosh giggled, taking his hand and letting him lean against her slightly. "Let's get you home."

Everyone watched as the happy couple left for home.

"What'd she mean jump in with the sharks?" Rhys asked slowly.

"It's a long story that involves a fishing trip with some SEAL instructors, and a shark that ate Dax's fish off the line." Ianto said with a chuckle.

"I won't ask then." he muttered, making everyone laugh.

Once Gwen and Rhys were on their way off to their honeymoon everyone else went home to sleep the day away.

.

That night Ianto and Jack had gone into work just the two of them to do the paperwork from the nostrovite attack at Gwen's wedding. But down in the archives Ianto suddenly felt himself craving Jack's attention.

He had been so busy the whole week that except the one night after they had gotten back from London, he really didn't have the chance to spend time with Jack. He was about to go upstairs and do something about it when Jack called him saying there was a weevil sighting down by Leckwith woods. So he had jumped up and the two had gone to go on a weevil hunt.

Of course, that hadn't gone as well as hoped. Ianto had ended up in the river and after getting the weevil subdued and into the back of the SUV, Jack had rushed them back to the hub, Ianto wrapped in a blanket and shivering like mad.

When they got back to the hub Ianto found a spare pair of socks, jeans, boxers and an undershirt in his locker, but it wasn't enough he was still cold. So he put on the giant dress whites shirt and sat on the couch trying to warm up while Jack finished up paperwork.

But he felt himself beginning to feel like he wanted Jack's undivided attention again.

"Jack!" he called from the couch. "I'm cold!"

"I know Ianto." Jack called back apologetically. "Just let me finish this up and we'll head home so you can be nice and warm."

Ianto let out huff of annoyance. So he tried again after a few minutes. "Jack! I'm still cold!"

"I know! I'm sorry! Almost done!"

Finally Ianto grumbled to himself. It was obvious Jack wasn't getting the message. He looked down at the sleeves of the giant shirt. Then he smirked a little. His grandfather told him to be the leader they had taught him to be, and he had been taught to be a commander that worked to get what he wanted and right now, he wanted Jack's attention. So he stood up and padded his way to the office.

"We'll be leaving in a few minutes Ianto. Promise." Jack said without looking up. "Just let me finish the paperwork."

Ianto wasn't sure if Jack was just trying to be annoying or what but it was really getting to him so he walked over and pushed Jack back into the chair, straddling Jack's waist as he sat in the older man's lap. "Sod the fucking paperwork. You're apparently not getting the hint Jack." He said. "I'm cold, and I'd appreciate it if you warmed me up."

Jack seemed somewhat startled by Ianto's sudden boldness, so Ianto continued.

"Now then, I've been feeling a bit neglected this week. I understand Owen needed help, I'm glad Gwen got to have a special day, now I'd like just a little bit of your time."

Jack suddenly smirked. "Getting jealous all of the sudden?"

"Not jealous, just a bit selfish."

"Oh really? You sure you're not jealous of Gwen?"

Ianto knew he was playing and it was getting to him, so he stood up and hauled Jack to his feet, gripping Jack's coat lapels tightly.

"I'm sure because Gwen and I have both established that Rhys is her's and you are mine. Because even she admitted that she would never be able to turn you into putty as quickly as I can." he grinned wickedly.

"Oh? How long did you tell her it took?" Jack asked, returning the grin as he placed his hands on Ianto's hips.

"Simple, I told her the right smirk to get your attention." He did so and Jack gave him the classic look, both brows raised. "Ten seconds to make you breathless." He put his hand on the back of Jack's neck and pulled him in for a hot, passionate kiss. When he backed away Jack was practically panting. "Thirty seconds to make you speechless." he kissed Jack again, letting his hands roam over the small of Jack's back, snaking their way under the man's shirt and gently caressing the sensitive skin on his back. "Can you speak?" he asked.

Jack opened his mouth, but all that came out was a squeak making Ianto grin.

"Perfect. Forty five seconds, and I'd have your knees buckling." He leaned in and gently nipped the skin behind Jack's ear, before sucking on it, as he rolled his hips against Jack's and he felt Jack jerk as his knees buckled. "And by the end of a minute I'd have you ready to sink to the floor." he whispered in Jack's ear, purposely blowing warm air over the sensitive skin as he combed his fingers through the hair on Jack's neck.

Sure enough, Jack was slowly sinking towards the floor, completely lost in the sensations.

But Ianto hauled him back to his feet. "Like I said, I'm not jealous, just selfish."

"Selfish how?" Jack inquired, obviously befuddled and dizzy.

"That's quite simple Jack." he said, gripping the coat tightly. "_I_ want _you_ to focus on _me_ for a while. _I_ want _your_ full, undivided, physical attention, for the rest of the night. Like I said, I'm being a bit selfish." he shrugged. But then he smiled sweetly. "But don't I deserve a selfish moment once in a while? After all, I let you have plenty."

"Ohhh, if this is how you are when you're selfish, baby you can be selfish any day." Jack said, obviously dazed.

"Well I'm glad you agree." Ianto said with a smile.

"And what are you proposing?" Jack inquired, holding onto Ianto's hips for balance.

"Simple. Food for one. I say we order something simple. Then after dinner a nice chat over some scotch to loosen you up a bit. Then a nice game of naked hide and seek."

"You hide, I seek!" Jack said excitedly.

"I think not." Ianto said, gripping Jack's coat a little tighter to keep the older man on his feet. "Tonight it's your turn to hide. Know why?"

"Why?" Jack asked, shivering with delight.

"Because Jack, tonight, your coat, your lovely coat that I adore so much, is going to be mine," he leaned in close to Jack's ear, "as I shag you senseless."

"You're so sure you're going to win?" Jack asked, but he sounded unconvinced.

"Absolutely, want to know why?"

Jack nodded eagerly and Ianto regained that wicked grin.

"Because I've added a new rule. I catch you cheating, and you automatically loose, making your coat mine. Besides, I'm determined tonight, and when I'm determined, I always get what I want."

Jack licked his lips which appeared to be getting dry. "Can we just skip dinner altogether?" he almost whimpered.

"No, because I'm starving Jack, I've hardly had anything to eat all day. But if you're good," He wrapped his arms around the back of Jack's neck and tugged him close as he leaned into to whisper, "I'll let you wear my coat while you ride me."

"Okay, what do you want for dinner?" Jack asked jumping up, obviously excited.

Ianto smiled as Jack went about ordering dinner. Normally while he could take charge, he wasn't as bold as he had just been, but he had to admit, he was enjoying it.

Jack had ordered them dinner and they had eaten in record time while enjoying a couple glasses of scotch. Before long they were playing naked hide and seek.

And as Ianto had predicted, he won, getting Jack's coat along with Jack's complete undivided attention for the rest of the night as they had collapsed, exhausted on the tiny bed in the bunker, which Ianto was glad he had cleaned the sheets and blankets for.

"If that's what you're like when your selfish Ianto, you should be selfish more often." Jack gasped after they came down from another high together.

Ianto smiled and gently nuzzled Jack's neck as he ran his hands over the older man's back.

"I really just wanted some attention." he said honestly.

"If you want attention just ask, you know I'd love to give you plenty of attention when ever you want." Jack said, gently kissing him.

"I know. I was trying to give you a subtle hint, but you apparently weren't catching it. Since when do you put paperwork ahead of anything else?" he inquired.

"Good question." Jack said honestly. "Since when do you tell me to sod the fucking paperwork either?"

"I was feeling desperate." he shrugged with a tiny blush.

"All I know is that was a blast!" he admitted. "I'm telling you, you should be selfish more often. Maybe I should neglect your sexual needs a little more often."

"Don't you dare Jack Harkness!" Ianto growled, punching Jack in the arm. "Besides you'd never make it."

"You're right, I wouldn't." Jack chuckled. "Anyway, you look exhausted. Do you want to stay here or go home?"

"Go home." Ianto yawned honestly. "While I enjoyed our tussle, it's still only eleven. I'd like to go sleep in our own bed."

So the two got up and got dressed before deleting the CCTV feed for the couple of hours, then they headed home and quietly curled up in their bed together before they quickly fell asleep

.

.

.

A/N: I couldn't resist the last bit. I had it in my head for a while so I figured it was a perfect opportunity. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, let me know if you did! Thanks for keeping me writing!


	53. It kinda follows Adrift kinda

A/N: alright everyone. Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. It's been a very long couple of weeks and I've been stuck with writer's block for a bit. I hope you guys like this chapter. It wasn't as good as I hoped. But I tried.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood.

.

.

.

Jack let out a heavy sigh as he sat at his desk. It had been a long day. Hell, to him, it had been a long week, even a long month.

First there was the issue of the night travelers. Those creatures scared Jack to no end and to top it off out of six victims including an entire family, they had only been able to save one little boy. Jack had been kicking himself endlessly over that.

But he also noticed it had affected Ianto quite badly. Jack knew Ianto was partially blaming himself for letting the ghost maker get the bottle back. For letting the creature loose five of the six final breaths, resulting in five deaths, including the little boy's sister, mother, and father.

Stella had kept her distance, only giving her Tad the small bits of comfort she knew how to offer, telling Jack that he was obviously better at helping Ianto.

But Just when Ianto appeared to be brightening up, the whole incident with Flat Holm had occurred.

Jack had been annoyed when Gwen kept pushing for the Jonah Bevin case. He had told her to leave it alone. Kept telling her there was no way for them to help. But she had kept pushing, even going so far to return to the hub after Jack sent everyone home, catching him and Ianto in a bit of a compromising position in the hot house leaving Ianto red and Jack laughing.

But then Jack had found out about Ianto betraying him and telling Gwen about Flat Holm.

That was the cause of his current predicament. His current issue. The argument that had ensued had been loud and angry. Well come to think of it, the whole thing had been more like Jack screaming till his face went red, and Ianto feebly trying to defend himself, but barely getting a word in since his voice had been so quiet, drowned out by Jack's shouts.

Now their peaceful family was somewhat broken.

Ianto had turned unusually professional towards him, everyone had confronted him in their own way.

But Stella had hurt Jack and Ianto the most.

She had screamed and yelled at both of them who just starred her down sternly, defending their own positions in their argument. She had stormed out of the hub, grabbing Russell and dragging him out the door with her by the front of his shirt. Stella hadn't been home in the entire week they had fought. Hadn't even called them to let them know she was okay. Instead, Ianto would get a call from Ms. Havenshire telling him that Stella was fine, staying with their family every night.

The middle aged woman had even gone so far to chide him on their ridiculous behavior. Then she had made Ianto hand over the phone to Jack where she began to hound him for the same reason telling them that the two were being stupid and needed to work past whatever issues they were having because they belonged together.

Jack had just stood and taken the woman's verbal abuse before handing the phone back and turning to his office.

Since then Jack had found himself attempting to sleep in his old bunker, keeping only a few outfits in his closet and his essential toiletries.

But he missed Ianto. He missed the bed he shared with the young man, the flat he shared with Ianto and Stella. Missed having a place to go to after a long day. Instead he couldn't let go of his anger, and he continued sulking, unable to forgive the young man. He was so absorbed in his wallowing that he didn't notice that something was increasingly wrong with Ianto until it had almost been too late.

.

Ianto had been sticking to the archives like he usually did. But at one point the rest of the team had been sent out to the field and Jack had been too busy with paperwork to see Ianto walk down to the autopsy bay then head back to the archives.

After the team had returned, Jack sent everyone home early, but Owen decided to stay a little longer to finish some paperwork, though Jack had a feeling it was to help keep an eye on him and Ianto since Ianto had been hiding in the archives.

Jack had sat doing his paperwork in silence, when there was a cup of coffee set in front of him. But he was surprised when it was somewhat sloppily dropped, some coffee spilling over. He looked up to say something snappy, but he paused when he saw the way Ianto was watching him.

Ianto leaned against the desk, supposedly for support as he looked at Jack sadly. "Look Jack, I know you're still angry with me, and you have every right to be." he sighed, throwing himself down in the chair in front of the desk. "But, I can't keep with this guilt, I'm really sorry. And I know you have trouble deciphering between us as lovers and us as Boss and employee, so I'm going to help you distinguish a line here."

Jack just sat, watching the young man closely.

Ianto suddenly looked unusually unprofessional as he slumped in the chair, looking exhausted, and very pale.

"As your employee, I apologize for what I've done, sir. It was wrong for me to disobey your orders, and normally I would never do such a thing, but I felt Gwen needed to be put in her place when it came to your authority, and your decisions which in the end, really are always for the best. She needed to see that, and I understand that what I have done has, in the end, made me no better then her when it comes to being disobedient. Feel free to punish me how ever your feel fit for insubordination, whether it's suspending me, or keeping me from field operations, I deserve what I get."

Jack remained silent, listening to Ianto, deciding it was best not to interrupt him.

"As your lover or partner or whatever it is that I am, I'm am truly sorry that I hurt you Jack. I should never have betrayed your trust the way I did. But I felt Gwen needed to stop questioning. She thinks your heartless sometimes, and that's just not true. I wanted her to see that you take care of those people to the best of your abilities. In all honesty it pains me to see what I've done to you and I am so sorry Jack." Ianto let out a heavy sigh as he stood up, not even bothering to straighten his suit. Then he took a deep tired breath. "There now. I've got my apology out there. I'll let you decide what to do next. I don't expect you to forgive me quickly, if you forgive me at all. I know you aren't going to apologize for anything, and I'm not saying you have to. So now that I've apologized, I shall excuse myself sir."

Jack watched as Ianto walked out of the office, stumbling slightly. He looked down at his hands, before clenching his fists and putting his head on his desk.

Ianto had officially drawn the line between being Jack's employee and being Jack's lover and he had apologized from both sides, but instead of feeling like some of the tension was gone, Jack felt like an ass. The young man had told him that he didn't need to apologize for anything, but he had been wrong. Jack needed to apologize for everything.

But before he could think anymore he heard Owen calling for him, his voice full of fear.

"JACK! Jack! Get down here fast!"

Jack jumped up and ran to the autopsy bay to see Owen sitting on the floor, cradling an unconscious Ianto in his arms

"What the fuck did you do Jack?" Owen snapped.

"I didn't do anything Owen!" Jack snapped back, helping the medic get Ianto onto the examination table. "What the hell happened?"

"Ianto just came stumbling down here, saying he didn't feel good, and next thing I know, he just passed out and toppled over taking me with him." Owen growled, gently feeling Ianto's forehead. "He's burning up Jack. Something's very wrong with him. Didn't you notice something was wrong?"

Jack paused. Suddenly he realized what had been bothering him as Ianto had sat apologizing. The pale color of Ianto's skin, he had looked like he hadn't shaved in days. The fact that he had trouble setting the coffee down on the desk, that he needed to lean against it for support before shoving himself into the chair, the way he stumbled when he walked out of the office. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He had neglected the one man he had promised to take care of.

"You know what? I don't even want to know what happened, just get out of my workspace!" Owen snapped, obviously getting defensive of Ianto. "I know what Ianto did wasn't exactly right, but it's been eating him up from the inside out, and you've been too busy to notice that apparently our beloved tea boy hasn't slept in days, that he hasn't eaten, he's barely even had any coffee. No wonder Stella has shunned the two of you. Whatever you said to him, it's been hurting him and you haven't been smart enough to even attempt to correct it. Sometimes I don't know what he sees in you, because times like this just remind me that, friend or not Jack, you can be a downright arse! Now get out of my medical bay!"

Jack felt like he had been slapped in the face and for once he didn't argue with the dead medic, because Owen was right and he knew it.

Whatever was wrong with Ianto, Owen could help him. Jack….. Well he just felt lost. So he wandered down to the archives, wondering what it was that Ianto had been doing during the week he had been hiding.

But when Jack saw the normally neat and tidy desk, he felt his breath catch. Sitting on top of the files that appeared to have been stacking up, were several orange medication bottles sitting open, and half a bottle of scotch.

Jack could hardly believe what he was seeing. Had he really been dumb enough to hurt Ianto to the point that he tried to die? He sat down in the chair feeling guilt well up inside till it was practically unbearable. But then he saw something written in Ianto's diary which was sitting open on the desk. The problem was, it wasn't Ianto's handwriting.

'I'm the annoying little creature that lives in this boy's mind. They always said that I was never strong enough to hurt him. But then the lovely rift gave me all of the power I needed to take over. He'll never remember when I made him steal all of these pills, and he'll never remember drinking all of that scotch. But that's if he even wakes up. If I had my way, he'd just die and I'd be free, and dear Master Alistair, the stupid human lover of the underworld, will take the kid's poor withered soul to hell, just like he should have the first time. He never did want to die. But he's been so sick, so weak, that it was just too easy. To top it off, that stupid captain that was supposed to love him forever, has lost his interest in the kid, and his neglect will be the boy's downfall, perfect right? This isn't a suicide note, it's more of a confession to the murder of Ianto Jones, carried out by an evil little demon that hides in his mind. The perfect murder that will send me home, that looks like a suicide so my dear master won't know. By the time anyone finds this I will be free and laughing because I caused the death of Ianto Jones, well before his time.'

Jack could hardly believe what he was reading. Ianto had basically been possessed by something that had wanted to kill him, and it used Ianto's exhaustion and Jack's neglect to do so. It was his fault. He quietly cleared away the bottles and the scotch, tossing them all into the waste basket beside the desk, trying to figure out what to do. Debating on going to check on Ianto, but knowing that Owen was angry at him.

After a while Jack heard quiet footsteps. He looked up to see Owen walking towards him wearing the oversized doctor's coat that Leon Ashtor had given him. Jack had noticed that Owen had taken to wearing it when trying to help any of them, the sleeves tied up to a shorter length with rubber bands, it was almost like he was hoping that the coat gave him the luck and the strength to help the people he cared about.

"This place really is a maze." Owen griped, "We're lucky. Tea boy will live another day. But he was damn close to dying from a shit load of medications he swallowed. Care to explain why he swallowed them?"

Jack just picked up the diary and handed it to Owen.

"What d'you want me to do with this?"

"Read the bottom of the page, the part that Ianto obviously didn't write." Jack sighed, feeling immense relief, but still tons of guilt.

Owen just sighed and began reading as Jack starred down at his feet. "What the fuck? You tellin' me tea boy was possessed by something?"

"Seems that way." Jack sighed, standing up. "This really is my fault."

"Yeah it is. If you want to help, take him home, let him rest. He's asleep right now, but when he wakes up he'll have one hell of a stomach ache. I actually had to pump his stomach to get all of the crap out. He may be slightly grumpy over it. If he gets hungry, soup only, got that Harkness?"

Jack suddenly hugged Owen tightly. "Thanks Owen. He's lucky to have a friend like you." he said, then he headed upstairs. He found his way to the autopsy bay where Ianto was on the examination table, a blanket tucked in around him, his suit jacket, waist coat, and tie draped over the near by chair. He walked over to Ianto and gently ran a hand through Ianto's hair.

Ianto let out a tiny snort and rolled over, wrapping the blanket tighter around him, letting Jack know that he was just asleep.

"I believe he apologized Jack." said Owen, making Jack jump slightly. "I think now it's your turn."

"I do believe you're right Owen. When he wakes up I've got a lot of groveling to do."

"Yeah you do." Owen agreed. "Take tea boy home, call Stella, tell her to come back, and the two of you need to keep an eye on him. He should be fine now that I've got most of it out of his system, but if anything happens, call me, I'll have my phone on."

Jack immediately did as he was told. He drove Ianto home in the SUV, and managed to get him into the elevator without anyone seeing him carrying the unconscious Welshman. When he managed to get Ianto into the flat, he gently laid him on the bed before stripping him down to his boxers and undershirt, and pulling the covers over him.

Once he was sure Ianto was going to be alright, Jack laid down on top of the covers beside him and kept a close eye on him.

But Jack couldn't help but feel like he was home again. He hated being in the hub alone, especially knowing that he practically kicked himself out of Ianto's flat.

After a few minutes Jack was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Ianto stirring. He turned to see Ianto slowly opening his eyes, watching him groggily.

"Jack?" he asked sleepily.

"Hey there sunshine." Jack said softly.

"Ohhh! What happened?" he groaned, stretching a bit.

"It's a very long story. How are you feeling?"

"I've got a tummy ache and a sore throat." he admitted.

Jack found himself smiling a tiny bit. "But all in all okay?"

"All in all okay." Ianto agreed.

"Ianto, I… I'm sorry." he said honestly. "I was being a jerk towards you, and I neglected you and I never should have. I was only thinking about myself, not you, and not Stella. I know I can be an idiot sometimes…" he paused. "Well, a lot of times, and I just wanted to say I'm really sorry too Ianto. Thanks for putting everything into perspective for me."

Ianto said nothing, he just sat there, watching, his blue eyes still hazy with sleep.

"Why did you say I didn't need to apologize?" Jack asked.

"Because I wasn't sure if you were going to apologize or decide that you were right and you didn't need to. All I know is I want my family back." Ianto said somewhat shyly.

Jack was somewhat taken aback by his answer. "So you were going to just let me slide?"

"Basically, yeah." Ianto shrugged.

Jack pulled Ianto into a tight hug. "Next time you should be more selfish and demand an apology." he murmured.

Ianto laughed softly. "But then it might back fire." he quipped. "Anyway, it appears our apologies are accepted, and we'll get over the awkwardness of the aftermath with some time. Anything else we should resolve so there's no tension?" Ianto asked, obviously knowing things weren't going to be perfect, but on their way to healing with time.

Jack really wanted to ask about the evil little creature that wrote in Ianto's diary, but at the moment he was just glad that Ianto was alive and well, and that he was forgiven for being neglectful and obnoxiously self centered. There was one last thing.

"Go ahead and ask." Ianto said softly.

"Ianto…. Can… can I come back home?" he blurted out suddenly before he could think.

Ianto jerked back and gave him an odd look. "Can you come home? Jack, I never kicked you out."

"I know, but I…. I basically did that for you didn't I?" he muttered, somewhat embarrassed.

Ianto smiled and gently kissed him on the lips. "Yes Cariad, you can come home, I missed you. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much sleep since you've been at the hub."

"You do look a bit scruffy." Jack said with a tiny smile, gently running his fingers over the prickly hairs on Ianto's jaw.

"I was going to shave this morning, but I was so tired I realized that if I tried, I'd cut myself, give up then go to work half scruffy instead." Ianto admitted with a tiny chuckle.

Jack found himself smiling. It appeared that apologies were all that was needed, yet he had been such an arse that he had sat and let his brooding get in the way. After a second he was brought to the present by Ianto moving around, but this time he was trying to get out of bed.

"Hey now, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm hungry Jack." Ianto muttered, standing up. But he faltered slightly and grimaced.

"Ianto, are you alright?" he inquired, sitting up and quickly jumping to Ianto's side.

"I'm alright. I think I twisted my knee when I fell on top of Owen though." he admitted, sitting back down. "It could've been worse though I suppose."

Jack gently pulled him back into an embrace. "Are you sure you're alright though?"

Ianto looked at him questioningly. "Okay, you're scaring me Jack. What happened? You went from ignoring me, to suddenly being over protective, and to top it off I feel as though I ate something I shouldn't have. What happened?"

Jack winced. He really wasn't sure what to tell the young man. "It really is a long story Ianto." he sighed.

"Well I've obviously got time." Ianto said, getting somewhat annoyed.

"Well…. You ended up raiding the medicine locker, and you ate about ten different medications, and drank half a bottle of scotch." he said slowly.

Ianto suddenly paled. "I did no such thing!" he snapped defensively.

"I don't think you did personally. No. But it was all there sitting on your desk." Jack sighed the reached over onto the night stand where he had set Ianto's diary. "Here, read the last page, it was obvious you didn't write it."

Ianto suddenly looked furious that Jack had his diary as he snatched it back and flipped through the pages.

'Maybe I asked to come home a little too soon.' Jack though to himself watching Ianto's angry expression. He jumped though when Ianto suddenly threw the diary against the wall before resting his head in his hands.

"Damn it! I was doing fine until I got tired!" he growled, his voice muffled.

Jack crawled forward and gently wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist.

"Leave me alone Jack!" Ianto snapped, trying to shake him off.

"Ianto, please, what is it?"

"I don't know, but when the king of the demons can't even get rid of the stupid thing I should've known I was in trouble." Ianto mumbled. "It just sits there, whispering all day that everyone's unhappiness is my fault and when I get too tired I believe it."

"You've never made anyone unhappy Ianto." Jack said, "This whole thing with flat holm, I caused my own unhappiness, I made a bigger deal out of it then I really needed to."

"Well that may be true, but after a while you tend to believe it no matter what anyone says." he sighed.

"Well I'd say you should ignore it, but I guess that's kind of hard when it's in your head." he sighed, unsure of what to say.

"I'm still hungry." Ianto muttered trying to get up.

"Owen said only soup tonight." Jack told him.

Ianto sighed. "I don't want soup. I want normal food. Why soup?"

"I guess Owen wants you on a liquid diet since he had to pump all of that garbage out of your stomach."

"Suddenly I'm not hungry anymore." Ianto grumbled, trying to stand again.

"Wait, wait, hold on Ianto." Jack said, gently pulling him back. "If something's wrong with your knee, we should probably keep you off of it and get some ice."

Ianto just let out a heavy sigh. "Then at least let me stretch out on the couch." he grumbled.

Jack watched as Ianto stood up and slowly made his way to the living room, limping with each step. He let out a defeated sigh.

Ianto was suddenly acting very dependent, and all Jack could do was let him be that way.

After a moment Jack stood up and followed Ianto out into the living room where he saw the young man stretched out on the couch, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" he asked carefully.

"I am, but I don't want soup." he said stubbornly.

Jack sighed again before walking over and sitting down on the floor beside Ianto. "I get the feeling this isn't really a fuss over the fact that you don't want soup for dinner."

"It's not. But I still don't want just soup for dinner." Ianto admitted. "I just…. I wish this obnoxious thing would go away, but instead it just gives me headaches. Ever since Abbadon it's been worse."

Jack just sat listening quietly figuring Ianto would tell him whatever he wanted with time.

"He's has no name. I just know he's a follower of the demon Ornias. Ornias is considered the harasser among demons and the stupid little thing just likes to harass me. No one knows how he got into my head, or why, I just know he's been there since I attempted suicide all those years ago."

"So those times when you get those really bad headaches?"

"That's him. He used to get really bad around Alistair for a while. Now he doesn't dare anger my brother." After a moment of silence Ianto turned his head to look at him. "So…. Did Owen really say soup only?"

Jack finally found himself chuckling softly. "Owen said soup only."

"What about stew?"

"Would you like me to ask him?"

"That would be nice." Ianto agreed.

"Alright, I'll be right back." Jack stood up and went into the bedroom where he retrieved his mobile phone out of his coat pocket before dialing Owen's number.

"I swear to God Harkness if something else goes wrong today…." Owen began.

"Ianto wants to know if he can at least have stew. He's griping that he doesn't want just plain old soup." Jack interjected.

There was a moment's pause, then a laugh on the other end of the line. "Really? He's complaining that he doesn't want soup?"

Jack found himself smiling. "Yup. He doesn't want soup."

"Well it depends, how's his stomach doing? Is he queasy?"

Jack walked into the living room. "Owen wants to know on a scale of one to ten, how queasy does your stomach feel?"

Ianto held up two fingers.

"He said a two." Jack told Owen.

"But I think that's mostly cause I'm hungry!" Ianto shouted so Owen could hear.

Owen laughed again. "Alright, he can have stew, but make sure it's small bites that he chews thoroughly, and that packet of powder that I gave you? Put that in a glass of milk and have him drink it. It'll replace the bacteria he lost earlier."

"Okay. Owen says you can have stew Ianto."

"What about coffee?" Ianto asked.

"One cup max tonight. And not a big one either. Then we'll see how he feels tomorrow. Simple stuff for now considering he hasn't had much food or liquid in the last week, got it?"

"Got it. Thanks Owen."

"Alright. Take care of the kid. I'd like some coffee tomorrow after all."

Jack chuckled softly as he hung up the phone. "Well, only one small cup of coffee tonight. That's the most you can have."

"And you're laughing about that?" Ianto looked disgruntled.

"No, I'm laughing because Owen was trying to hide his concern about you by claiming he wants you well enough to make coffee tomorrow." Jack said sitting beside him again.

Ianto leaned over and kissed the side of his head. "I guess that's enough to make me smile too." he said. "Despite the fact that I can't have more then one small cup of coffee."

Just then the front door opened and Stella came into the house.

"Oi, so you two decided to finally make up huh?" she asked.

"Yes we were a bit stupid over it." Ianto agreed.

"Now come give us some hugs, we missed you Stella." said Jack with a smile.

Stella grinned and pounced on Jack, giving him a big hug while she leaned over and gave her Tad a kiss.

"You're getting awful whiskery there Tad." she giggled.

"It's been a long week." Ianto sighed.

"Well I brought some beef stew for dinner." she said pointing to the bag she set on the table.

Both men gave her a curious look. "Did Owen call you or something?" Jack asked.

Stella blinked and shook her head. "No, why?"

"Never mind." Ianto said with a chuckle, sitting up slowly.

"You really did have a long week, didn't ya tad?"

"I think I twisted my knee earlier, but other then that and some exhaustion I'll be okay." Ianto told her reassuringly.

Jack nodded in agreement. "So anyway, you brought dinner, and I think it's safe to say that the three of us are fairly hungry, so why don't we just share dinner here?" he said changing the subject so Ianto wouldn't have to explain.

Stella had given him a strange look, but then she shrugged it off and retrieved the food.

After that the rest of the night seemed to resemble the normalcy that they had gotten used to.

Jack was extremely happy to be back in the big soft bed, curled up behind Ianto who had quickly drifted off to sleep. He was more then content drifting off to sleep next to the man he loved. Glad that he had forgiven and been forgiven. Everything else would fall into place with time and he was more then content about it.

.

.

.

A/N: alright, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It took me a while to get it all. So let me know what you guys think. Sorry again for taking so long everyone.


	54. Meeting nate and chatting with Tucker

A/N: alright, so this is kind of a random chapter I just had to get out before I move onto Fragments. I figured we'd all like to meet Nate, and get to know Tucker just a little bit better, so we'd have a nice light chapter before the insanity ensues... not like I'm saying this chapter isn't insane mind you. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. But I do own Nate and Alistair!

.

.

.

The next morning it was somewhat routine as Jack found himself being woken up by Ianto for work. But he couldn't help but notice that Ianto was already looking much better after a decent dinner and several a night's sleep. Even Tosh and Gwen noticed that Ianto was doing better when they headed into work.

The only problem was his knee was still bothering him so Owen had wrapped it up and told him to stay off it as much as possible which he did, because after making coffee, everyone gladly took their own cup before he retreated to the archives.

"Well he's definitely looking better." Owen said, sitting in Jack's office with him.

"Stella brought stew for dinner and he was asleep around eight thirty so he got plenty of sleep." Jack admitted.

"And you apologized?"

"I did apologize and it was like a lot of tension was finally gone." he said honestly.

"Well that's definitely good. I still want you to keep an eye on him though."

"I will Owen."

Just then Ianto poked his head in the office. "Owen, do you still have some extra strength sedative that's suitable for humans?" he asked.

Jack and Owen gave each other worried looks.

"Yeah, why?"

"Good, Jack I need to borrow Owen for something of a family emergency."

"What, the gay dog get loose and bite someone?" Owen asked.

"No, Nate's kind of gone off the deep end and his wife Mary ran out of the sedatives the doctors gave him, because he's had an unusually nutty month."

"Nate? The one your Uncle Travis said belongs in the loony bin?" Jack asked slowly.

"The one and only nutcase himself. Care to come meet him?"

"Will I regret it?" Jack asked slowly.

"Is he hurting people?" Owen asked.

"No, he's just being crazy which usually results in him hurting himself." Ianto said honestly. "But Mary did say something about hurrying before he wears a hole in the floor since he's already gone through the rug."

"I'll go get the med kit." Owen said standing up and walking out of the office.

"Do you care to come along? Alistair and Tucker are there, Mary and Nate live just five minutes away from here."

"Why not?" Jack shrugged. "Why are Alistair and Tucker there?"

"No idea. But I figured I'd introduce Tucker to Stella and Russell considering he has no friends of his own back home, just siblings."

"Sounds like a plan." Jack said, standing up. He walked over and hugged Ianto, gently kissing his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Decent." he admitted with a tiny smile.

"Good. So… what is Nate like besides being crazy?"

"You ever see that old American show, 'the A-team'?"

"A couple of episodes over the years, why?" Jack asked slowly.

"Imagine the crazy one, Murdoch, only….. Worse." Ianto said with a smile. "Hence why he terrified me being my navigator."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." Jack said with a tiny nod.

After a few minutes the entire team took the short walk from the bay to a flat on the estate on the other side of mermaid quay.

"Okay, so why are we all tagging along?" Russell asked.

"Where are we going anyway?" Gwen asked.

"To help an old friend of mine."

"That may or may not need a heavy sedative." Owen chimed in.

"No gay dogs?" Gwen said with a giggle, picking on him.

"No gay dogs, just an insane B-17 navigator that looks like he's only in his forties." Ianto admitted as he knocked on the door.

After a moment a flustered middle aged brown haired woman answered the door. "Oh thank God you're here Ianto, and you brought reinforcements, with guns I hope."

"No! That will only make him worse remember?" Ianto said quickly. "If he feels his life was threatened then he gets that scary laugh."

"True. Alright then, come on in."

Jack honestly had no idea what he was expecting when he walked into the house, but he knew it wasn't the scene before him.

Sitting on one couch in the living room was Alistair and Tucker, Tucker sitting with his knees against his chest, his head cocked to the side as he starred into space, and another man sitting in the recliner. But on the floor was a man in a straight jacket lying on his side, spinning around in circles laughing like crazy.

"Hey Welsh boy! Bout time you got here." the man in the recliner said with a smile.

"Hey Danny." Ianto said in greeting.

"Dare I even ask what happened here?" Owen said slowly.

"We were watching singing in the rain, but we got as far as the make 'em laugh bit with Donald O'Conner where he spins around on the ground, and Nate just decided that it looked like fun." sighed Alistair.

"He's been like that for the last three hours." said the man named Danny.

"Good lord." Ianto sighed, limping over to the man on the floor. He sat down right in the man's path, stretching his sore leg out.

After one final spin Nate ran into Ianto, stopping him, then he looked up with a smile.

"Hey hey! Welsh boy! What are you doing here?" he laughed, somehow attempting to sit up.

"Apparently you're driving poor Mary up the walls, so she called for help. Do I need to get my friend to sedate you?"

"No! But can you unbuckle me please?" Nate begged.

"Give me one good reason why I should." Ianto said stubbornly.

"Because I've calmed down?" Nate suggested with a smile.

Jack jumped slightly when Nate's wife Mary gently touched his arm.

"Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable, there's plenty of room." she told everyone.

So they all made their way into the living room and found seats.

After a bit more pleading Ianto seemed to give in. "Fine, but one wrong move and Owen get's permission to shoot you with a tranquilizer dart usually meant for weevils." Ianto said spinning him around and unbuckling the straight jacket.

As soon as the last buckle was undone Nate let out an excited shout making everyone jump as he spun around and threw his arms around Ianto's neck in a very over exaggerated hug.

"Okay, now I'm good." said Nate sitting up with a smile and a sigh.

"Wow, you really did wear through the rug," Ianto said, looking down at a large hole in the rug.

"Yes, yes I did, and now I get to buy Mary a new one."

"I thought you just replaced this rug last month after you found the zippo lighter you insane pyro." Danny sighed.

"Yeah, I do stupid things, that's why Mary had the carpet torn out and the rugs put in. I can just keep replacing rugs."

"This man is officially nuts." sighed Owen.

"It's Nate, that's about all you can use to describe him." said Ianto.

"He makes Alan look average." Jack said honestly.

"Even the Tardis thinks he's crazy. My dad's Tardis, thinks that Mr. Baskins is crazy." Tucker sighed, shaking his head.

"Did I mention that we discovered the Tardis talks to Tucker?" Alistair said as Jack starred at the boy. "That's usually why he sits with his head tilted, he's listening to her."

"The kid hears the Tardis? Does his dad know?"

Tucker finally straightened out his neck and smiled at Jack. "Of course dad knows. It's how I communicate with him."

Jack just chuckled and shook his head. "Oh the things I learn in this family." he sighed.

"So wait, you're an alien Tucker?" Tosh asked surprised.

"Half. I'm half human, half time lord." Tucker admitted with a shy smile.

It was then that Jack saw that Tucker appeared to resemble the tenth doctor quite a bit. His smile was the same and his hair was brown and messy just like the tenth's. The main difference, Jack noted, was that Tucker obviously had an American accent, but he also had a much softer voice making him usually the quiet and shy one of the family.

As everyone started talking and trying to figure out Nate, Jack watched as Tucker went back to staring into space, his head tilted to the side.

"Stella, Russell, why don't you two introduce yourselves to Tucker?" Ianto told the teens who were sitting on the floor with him.

The two stood up and sat on each side of Tucker who was suddenly so surprised he managed to spin around on the couch and fall backwards onto the floor.

"You alright there Tucker?" Jack asked, looking down at him as he slowly sat up.

"I was taken by surprise." he admitted.

"No offence Tucker, but you're not as social as your dad are you?" he inquired.

"No, no I'm not. I would like to be, but I'm not." Tucker said honestly. "I get picked on enough without making any social interactions. I don't need to make it worse by attempting to make friends."

Stella and Russell glanced at each other before smiling.

"Uncle Alistair, can we take Tucker with us for the rest of the day?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, we've got a great group of friends to introduce him to." said Russell.

"Nope, no way, I don't do social." said Tucker shaking his head.

"Good grief, you're more anti-social then Ianto ever was." Gwen sighed.

"Go on Tucker. You need to actually get out once in a while." Alistair said.

"But everyone picks on me Alistair!"

"Our friends are usually the ones that get picked on." said Russell.

"Yeah well you haven't really been picked on till you're picked on by everyone in the school including the special education kids." Tucker huffed.

"Ouch, that's a tough one." Jack admitted. "But why not try Tucker?"

"Think about it Tucker, maybe trying to make friends in another country will make all the difference." Ianto admitted.

"I made friends here and according to your dad the universe thinks I'm wrong." Jack pointed out.

After a moment Jack decided to take Tucker outside for a walk, curious as to why the son of such a charismatic, sociable man, didn't want to socialize.

"So then, why does everyone pick on you, huh Tucker?" Jack asked after they had walked down James street in silence for nearly five minutes.

"Cause I'm odd. I sit in class with my head to the side, scribbling away on my paper without looking and I'm an A+ student. No one likes me, I scare my teachers every year. Jack, my mom didn't even want me. She called me a freak when I was ten and left me alone at a hospital because she didn't want me." Tucker sighed. "I'm picked on enough at home, I don't need to be picked on abroad too."

"Tucker, Stella is part of your family now and she's not the type to let anyone pick on you anyway." Jack pointed out.

"I know she wouldn't, but her friends might."

"Nah, they're not the type. If they were they wouldn't be her friends because they would pick on her because of the color of her eyes, and the fact that she has two fathers."

Tucker let out another heavy sigh. "I guess I'm just feeling a little more defensive of myself then usual." he admitted with a shrug.

"And why is that?"

"I kinda….. Came out of the closet to mom, and dad, and Alistair."

"So, you're gay?" Jack asked slowly.

Tucker nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the sidewalk. "I feel weird enough already. I'm a half alien kid who acts unusual, hears my father and his time machine in my head, and now I've finally admitted I'm gay."

"Tucker, I'm from another planet three thousand years in the future, and I've been attracted to aliens of all sorts. You're not that unusual." Jack said reassuringly. "So what made you realize?"

"I've never really liked girls." he shrugged. "Well I mean, I never really felt attracted to any. But there was this new kid in class and he was really cute, but of course everyone else in the class warned him to stay away from me."

"You'll find someone. Trust me. I was lucky I met Ianto. He accepts me, and trust me, I'm far from normal."

Tucker finally chuckled slightly.

"So did you tell your father?"

"I told the Tardis." he admitted.

"But not your dad?"

"I told dad too." he said honestly.

"So, what did your dad say?" Jack asked curiously.

"I told him I just wish I could be normal and he told me that I'm lucky I've got what little bit of normalcy I do compared to him. He did say one of his former incarnations was supposedly attracted to men. Of course that just reminded me of how weird I was again."

"He doesn't care though, does he?"

"Nope. He just said I'm his son and he loves me anyway. He said maybe next summer I can travel with him for a little while."

Jack chuckled softly. "Be prepared to run, a lot." he said honestly.

Tucker giggled a little. "I already am." he said. After another moment of silence Tucker let out a heavy sigh and smiled at him. "Thanks for talking to me Jack. I do feel a little better now."

"You're welcome Tucker. I know what it feels like to be an outcast, so if you ever need someone to talk about that's family, but not quite in the family, I'm here."

Tucker laughed. "Got it. Of course I guess I could always come to you for advice when it comes to sexuality."

Jack smiled. "I've got some weird stories to tell." he said honestly.

"Not in detail please." Tucker said quickly.

"No way. I'll keep it PG-13 at most." he agreed with a grin.

"Okay, just making sure. Be honest, how many aliens have you 'shagged' as they say here in the U.K."

Jack laughed. "Couldn't tell ya. I lost track over a century ago."

Tucker rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Sexual deviant I see."

"How old are you now Tucker?" Jack asked curiously.

"Seventeen. I turned seventeen in March."

"Ah. Just making sure you're not too young to hear some of this stuff."

Tucker laughed again. "I'm no baby, that's for sure." he said with a grin. "Excepted compared to you and my 900 year old dad."

"Compared to us, yes, you are a baby."

"So then, what is one race you've been with on another planet?"

"Hmm…. Good question. I don't really remember all of the names. There was this race of green skinned humanoid like aliens. They were interesting."

"Green skinned humanoids. I'll have to ask the Tardis about that later."

Jack smiled at the boy. "So, do you want to try and hang out with Stella and her friends? They're not a very big group to be honest, and one of the boys, he's seventeen like you, I think his name is Kale."

Tucker let out a sigh. "I might as well. At least if it doesn't work out, I'll never see them again and be a whole half a world away."

"Try having some confidence in yourself Tucker. Confidence can make all the difference. Just ask Ianto. Or your dad for that matter. Of course, when it comes to confidence your dad's a little full of himself. Not like I'm not, but I've gotten better."

"My dad's nine hundred years old, and your over a hundred and fifty, that gives you some rights to be overconfident occasionally."

Jack found himself laughing. "I like the way you think Tucker! Of course, being part time lord, you'd think you'd be a bit overconfident at times. They appeared to be that type of race."

"Nah. Why bother? Then I'll just be a stuck up odd ball who doesn't fit in. I'd rather be the silent one."

"I guess when you put it that way then I can see your point." Jack agreed. "Anyway, let's get back and make sure that everyone's okay considering the state of Ianto's odd friend."

"It's really kinda weird to sit watching 'Singing in the Rain' with a man on the floor in a straight jacket." Tucker said. "Then he saw the bit with Cosmo Brown spinning and he went, 'Ooh! That looks like fun!' and he started spinning on the floor and he never stopped."

"Everyday that I have Ianto in my life, something else surprises me." he said honestly. "Like meeting you and finding out you're the doctor's son."

"The Tardis said she wasn't running away because you were wrong though. Dad felt that, she felt guilty for what Rose did to you. That's why she tried to run away."

"Well I saw the end of the universe because of it. Not the best place to go on a vacation." he said, somewhat surprised by the revelation. "So you talk to the Tardis huh?"

"It's funny really. It's like…. Having a nanny, only she's in my mind. It sounds messed up, but she keeps me focused and out of trouble."

"I would say I've heard stranger but….." he paused and Tucker smiled.

"My dad's time machine has a soul and she takes care of my mind, I don't know if there's much in the world stranger then that." he said shaking his head with a smile.

"You sound like Stella when I ask if she was alright with having two dads." Jack said honestly.

"Oh? What did she say?"

"She looked at me like I was crazy and said 'you and dad chase aliens, I run the cover story, and I'm a sorceress from the 1700's. Somehow I think having two dads is the least of my worries.' In the end she did have a point."

"I guess that is a bit odd." Tucker agreed.

After a few more minutes the two made their way back to the flat where they found everyone where they left them, talking and laughing, but Ianto was stretched across the couch, his head in Alistair's lap, completely asleep.

"What? Was he that tired?" Jack asked, sitting in front of the couch.

"I made him take a nap." Alistair said.

"Apparently Alistair here can put tea-boy to sleep by snappin' his fingers." Owen said. "So we let him sleep while I debated with Danny and Nate on which was the better nick name for him since I call 'im tea boy and they call 'im 'welsh boy'."

Jack just shook his head and smiled as Ianto wrinkled his nose in his sleep.

"I think he's had a decent nap." said Alistair with a smile.

Jack watched as Alistair snapped his fingers and Ianto began to squirm as he woke up. But suddenly he sneezed right in Jack's face. Jack just starred as Ianto starred back while everyone else laughed.

"I'm…. sorry?" Ianto said sheepishly, trying to hide a grin.

"No you're not." Jack pointed out.

"You're right, I'm not." Ianto laughed.

"I suppose I deserved that after this last week." he sighed, wiping the snot off of his face.

"At least he doesn't sneeze as bad as Lulu." Alistair chuckled.

"If any human could sneeze as bad as an elephant then we've got issues."

Nate just let out an insane burst of laughter as he rocked back and forth.

"You sound like a hyena." Jack mumbled.

"I know! It took a lot of practice!" Nate said proudly.

"Remind me again why you're friends with this guy?" Gwen asked.

"You wouldn't think it, but B-17 Navigators save lives when you get separated from the rest of the squadron. That and one time when I thought I couldn't land, I ended up landing as quick as possible to get away from him despite the shock of almost being shot in the head." Ianto admitted, making Nate laugh even more.

"Shut up Nate! You're laugh is annoying!" Danny grumbled, throwing a pillow at the man's head, making him laugh more. Then he turned to Ianto. "You know, now I regret us not throwing him out of the plane as we flew over enemy territory."

"Well you could always feed him to Janet yeah?" Owen suggested. "Oh wait, he might make her sick with all of the loony bin medications they put him on."

"That doesn't work well, you threaten his life and he get's the scary laugh that makes Alan sound sane." Ianto said.

"That's just wrong." Jack sighed, remembering Alistair's son and his diabolical laughter.

"Anyway, I say we've been here long enough. It's about time for us to get back." said Ianto standing up.

"Right, Mary?" Owen called to the woman who was in the kitchen baking something.

"Yes dear?" Mary asked walking out.

Owen handed her a bag a syringes and a medication bottle. "Extra strength sedatives so he doesn't wear down the carpet again." he explained. "How do you live with this man out of pure curiosity?"

"I'm the only one that could. I used to be one of his nurses in the psychiatric hospital." she admitted with a smile. "They discovered he wouldn't hurt the female nurses and I was the only one stubborn enough to take him."

"That's why I love you Mary!" Nate said with a smile. "No one else keeps my mental breakdowns to a minimum of two a month and you actually unbuckle this thing occasionally!" He held up his arms which were still in the sleeves of the straight jacket as he sat on the floor like a child.

"Some days he's like a normal middle aged man, days like today, it's like having a five year old in the house." she pointed out. "That's why Danny lives next door."

"And why I occasionally disappear at lunch time." Ianto admitted, and Jack just shook his head with a smile.

He always did wonder where Ianto went when he suddenly turned up missing from the hub at random moments.

After saying goodbye everyone left, Alistair returned to his hotel, and Tucker was shooed off with Stella and Russell to meet their friends.

"You're family is nuts Tea-boy!" Owen said as they returned to the hub.

"Well technically speaking Nate's not family," Ianto pointed out. "Alistair and Tucker are my brothers though."

"Who were your first brother and sisters there? Like living with you in California?" Tosh asked curiously as Ianto plopped down on the couch.

"James was my first brother, then Tim, and then our first sister was Ray Ray." he said with a smile.

Jack starred. "Ray Ray?"

"Her name is Rachel, but we call her Ray Ray. Long story really. She's one month younger then me and she works at the Pentagon in D.C. Some heavily classified something or other." he said with a wave of his hand. "She played softball in school, was a pitcher like me, and in all honesty I am more scared of her pitches then anything. When you've got a softball coming at your head at sixty five miles an hour, it's down right terrifying. She's one of the overprotective sisters."

Jack tried to imagine a large softball being pitched so fast and shook his head. That was something he was more then happy to avoid.

After their interesting day out Jack was more then content to just spend a quiet evening at home with Ianto, the two of them quietly resting on the couch.

"Jack?"

"hmm?" he mumbled. He had been slowly dozing off during their movie.

"What did you and Tucker talk about? While you two were walking?" Ianto asked curiously.

"Just…. Stuff." Jack shrugged. "He needed a little confidence boost."

"You know, Tucker's always been somewhat anti-social. He loves a social surrounding, just never liked to socialize. But he's never been so guarded like he was earlier." Ianto said thoughtfully.

"Well apparently he just came out of the closet to your parents and Alistair." Jack said quietly.

"Ah." After a moment Ianto smiled. "Good for Tucker. I'm proud of him."

"He asked me how many aliens I've shagged over the years." Jack said with a tiny chuckle.

"You didn't tell him did you?"

"I said I lost count." Jack shrugged,

"Okay. I don't think dad would appreciate you giving Tucker sex advice."

"I don't think his father would either." Jack admitted with a smile, as he ran a gentle hand through Ianto's hair. "Anyway, it's getting late, let's get to bed."

Ianto slowly got up as Jack turned off the television before they headed into the bedroom together for a peaceful night's sleep.

.

.

.

A/N: okay, so Nate's obviously gone well over the deep end, and Tucker, well I do hope to find a way to bring Tucker into Torchwood a little more. Anyway, like I said, a nice light chapter before Fragments and exit wounds. So I hope you enjoyed it and then we'll see what I came up with for two of the darkest episodes outside of CoE. So let me know what you think, and hopefully I'll get back into my writing flow.


	55. exit wounds with a very happy ending

A/N: okay, I was on a roll with this one, a very, very long chapter that came out to twenty three pages, so sorry if it takes everyone forever to read. I just couldn't stop. Anyway, we're on to fragments and exit wounds, but I promise, while the first half is a bit destructive, the end is happy! Very happy despite everything! I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I will unfortunately never own Torchwood.

.

.

.

In the weeks following the apologies, Ianto found everything falling back into place. Every now and then there would be a sudden awkward moment between him and Jack on something, but they would quickly move past it, hoping to avoid another situation like the one that happened after the Jonah Bevin case.

Things were at ease though. The demon in Ianto's head had been trapped behind an even stronger barrier that Alistair had put up as he slept at Nate's flat. Owen was always checking in with Mary Baskins to see how Nate was doing and if she needed any help. Gwen was going home to Rhys more often, Tosh and James were busy planning their wedding which was to take place at the end of August after Ianto's birthday in Cardiff. Ianto had agreed to buy her wedding gown despite her initial protests, and they planned that day closer to the wedding. Stella and Russell were now closer then ever, and their group of friends now included Tucker, who Malachai helped so he could visit every week. As for Tucker, he appeared to have developed quite a romantic relationship with Stella's friend Kale, and that brought out Tucker's confidence and his smile much more.

Ianto continued to read the diaries that had been given to him, but he personally liked to avoid reading them as often as possible. It appeared that where Ianto and Jack had made up after a tough week, the first time around, they tried to apologize and it never worked out well, it was almost like they were falling out of love and that had hurt Ianto a little bit more each day.

Though this time around Ianto had to admit that, while he hated the damned thing in his mind, the creature was part of why they had ended the stalemate so quickly. It appeared that when Jack realized that Ianto almost died, he wanted things made up between them and he wanted to rectify all mistakes hoping he wouldn't come so close to loosing Ianto so easily again. That and the fact that both men wanted Stella home again had apparently made all the difference.

But early one morning Ianto found a note that told him to skip ahead to a specific page, and what he found had terrified him.

Tosh and Owen had died, and the pages had given detailed descriptions about what had happened.

Ianto quickly tossed the diary into the drawer and slammed it shut before running upstairs. He was about to go talk to Jack, where Jack ran out of his office calling him, Tosh, and Owen to go out in the field because four alien life signs were detected in an old abandoned building.

"Where's Gwen?" Ianto asked, noticing that the Welsh woman wasn't there.

"She didn't show up yet today." Tosh said.

"Probably slept in." Owen grumbled.

And before anymore could be said, the four of them left, Stella and Russell heading down to the hub to help provide support.

But somehow he knew that the day wasn't going to be normal as they wandered through the warehouse.

When he saw the explosive device in front of him, he knew he was in trouble, then the entire world shattered in front of him.

As he came back around Ianto could feel something heavy on top of him. He was trapped and just trying to escape caused excruciating pain to shoot across his shoulders. He let out a cry but before long the pain slowly began to dissipate. He let out a heavy sigh, knowing that attempting to get free would get him no where. And that he would probably have to wait for help. But as he sat trapped under the rubble he began to reminisce about things.

He remembered back when he was first adopted by his parents, the first time Lisa decided to talk to him during break one day, easily becoming his friend. The battle of Canary Wharf where he had lost her. His attempts to work his way in to Torchwood three, fighting the weevil, offering Jack coffee, catching Myfanwy.

Ianto couldn't help but smile as he remembered the kiss that changed everything. The kiss that had escalated to flirtatious bantering, then a budding friendship, and eventually an established relationship with Captain Jack Harkness. Though he had to admit that when he first kissed Jack, he never expected it to develop the way it did. It was one thing to have a slightly romantic relationship with someone, to kiss and shag and cuddle. But then Jack had essentially moved into Ianto's flat, being drawn away from the hub that had been his home for so very long. When Jack had left he came back, mostly for Ianto. They had created a family with Stella.

Ianto sat thinking about how he had originally accepted that he would die early in his life, whether it was today, or tomorrow or months down the road. But now it was different. He didn't want to die. He had come too close in the last month, but he wanted to fight, he wanted to live. He had a life that he loved with a family that he refused to loose and friends that kept him smiling.

He attempted to claw his way out of the rubble one more time, but when he did, another stab of pain hit him. It was then that he heard Jack's frantic calls.

"Ianto! Ianto?"

"Over here Jack!" Ianto called back.

Jack found him and looked relieved to see that he was still alive and in one piece as he began moving concrete off of Ianto's shoulders.

"Any idea how bad the damage is?" he inquired,

"No idea yet." he admitted as Gwen ran up.

"Toshiko, she's trapped and Rhys and I cant get her out." she said helping Jack move the rubble off of Ianto's back.

After a moment, Ianto was free as the two helped him up and then he was able to feel the pain as his shoulder moved around causing him to cry out.

"My shoulder, I think it's dislocated." he admitted.

Jack took a firm hold on Ianto's arm. "Can you take this?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ianto nodded, knowing that relocating his shoulder was going to be painful.

"Take a deep breath." Jack advised him.

Ianto did so and just as he braced himself, Jack jerked his arm up, forcing the joint back into it's socket. Ianto let out a scream of pain, he had known it was going to be painful, but it didn't make it any easier. After catching his breath he asked where Owen and Toshiko were.

Toshiko had been trapped and there had been no sign of Owen yet.

"We need to find Owen, just because he can repair himself, that doesn't mean he can do it easily." Ianto reminded them.

Gwen agreed and ran off to find Owen.

"Thank God your okay." Jack said, kissing him.

"I'll be alright Jack." he said reassuringly. "Let's go get Tosh."

"Right."

So the two ran to go help Tosh, who was lucky enough to only suffer a minor broken arm.

Luckily everyone had gotten out alright, and even Rhys had come to help, which, despite Jack's initial protest, Ianto was more then happy about.

What he wasn't happy about though was John Hart had returned and he had returned with Jack's brother Gray.

"Everything you love, everything you treasure, will die. I'm going to tear your world apart Captain Jack Harkness, piece by piece… starting now."

And that was when Ianto knew the world was about to go.

Jack had immediately told Stella and Russell to get out of the hub as fast as possible and they did, retreating to Russell's house figuring that Hart was going to be at the Hub. Then he had rushed off in the SUV.

Rhys had dropped Ianto and Tosh off at the central server building where they had reported seeing ghosts among several server stacks.

"How's the arm?" he asked her.

"Owen gave me some industrial strength pain killers that seem to be doing the trick." she said bravely. "Of course now this means I'll have a broken arm for my wedding." She sounded annoyed.

Ianto smiled slightly. Tosh was braver then she ever let on and it was something he admired about her.

"Ianto."

Ianto turned to see three grim reaper like figures.

"Huh. Who the hell are they?" he mumbled, unimpressed.

"Devils! Blasphemers! Pray to your heathen God. While in the Lord's name, we cast you out!" they said, advancing towards them.

Ianto and Tosh glanced at each other before pulling out their guns and easily shooting down the figures.

"There we are then." he deadpanned.

"Sorted." Tosh agreed. "Not very scary were they?"

"Please, I've got family that looks scarier then them." he said with a smile.

It was then that they heard John Hart over the comms telling them all to make their way to the roof tops despite protests and Hart's mocking. Ianto and Tosh reached the top of the central server building just in time to see Hart destroy the Cardiff city skyline with several well timed explosions.

'He's worse then any alien threat.' Ianto thought as he tried to stand after being knocked off of his feet by a shockwave.

"Alright, what now tea boy? Captain Harkness is missing that means Commander Jones is in charge." Owen said over the comm links.

Ianto saw Tosh smile at him. "Alright everyone, we're going to get this mess fixed up. We're going to find Jack, and the only order I have is leave Hart to me." he said.

"What are you going to do to him?" Gwen asked.

"Beat him to a bloody pulp for one." Ianto said calmly. "Then let Stella have her chance to turn him into a slug or something because we all know she will. Tosh, how bad was the damage?"

"He's completely crippled us with those explosions. All major routes are blocked and all IT and mobile connections are down."

"Well that's fantastic. Now then. I don't want to be the harbinger of doom, but the systems that run the Turnmill power plant's gone off line and we don't need a nuclear melt down to top off this night."

So Tosh and Ianto worked with the servers to try and get the systems back on line. But when that was no use, Ianto decided that he would go to the power plant himself and try and prevent the melt down.

"But that's suicide!" Tosh cried.

"Well I'll have to risk it, now are we going discuss it or go and do it?"

"Okay but we both go." Tosh said stubbornly.

Ianto wanted to argue with her, but he knew it would be no use so the two headed off to the power plant.

They were sidetracked though when they heard Hart telling them to search for a signal, and when they couldn't find it, he said that Jack was going to be buried forever.

Ianto was about to start barking at the man when there was a loud high pitched whine that made everyone cry out in pain.

Suddenly weevils began crowding the streets making it hard for Ianto and Tosh to make their way through the street.

"Owen, Gwen, can you hear me? The streets are flooded with weevils. Tosh and I can't make it to the power plant."

"Leave it to me tea-boy." said Owen. "I can get there."

"How?"

"King of the weevils, remember?" Owen said.

They could practically hear him smile.

"Alright, we're counting on you Owen." said Ianto. Then he looked at Tosh. "Let's get to the hub."

Tosh nodded in agreement.

So Ianto and Tosh made their way to the hub, where they arrived just in time to rescue Gwen and John from weevils.

"Oh God am I pleased to see you two." Gwen sighed heavily.

But Ianto wasn't going to let Hart get off easily, so he quickly set his sights on the man, ready for a shoot and kill.

Hart was lucky Gwen stopped him.

"Don't start! I'll make things right eye candy!" Hart snapped at him.

"Well start by getting the weevils back down to the cells before they wake up." said Tosh.

Ianto made to move past Hart but not before landing a nice heavy punch to the man's jaw before picking up a weevil.

"What did you do to Jack?" Ianto demanded as they made their way down in the cells.

"His brother made me burry him under Cardiff in 27 AD."

"What? You bastard!" Ianto snapped at him, horrified and fearing for Jack.

"I didn't have a choice!" Hart shot back.

"There's always a choice!" Ianto forced out, trying to get the weevil into the cell.

"Okay, can we just get these weevils back into the cells please?" Gwen sighed.

"If we don't find him, I will kill you!" Ianto snarled. He dropped the weevil on the bench and ran out of the cell tempted to shut the door to the cell Hart was in. "Very slowly!" he added.

But suddenly the cell doors slammed shut, locking Gwen and Hart in with the weevils.

Ianto! Can you get us out?" Gwen shouted.

Ianto was frozen. He suddenly remembered the diary entry he had read earlier in the day, loosing Tosh and Owen. "Tosh!" he cried running back up to the main hub.

Luckily Tosh appeared alright for the moment and he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Owen is at the power plant. We'll get things fixed now." she said with a smile.

Ianto smiled back at her. But relief was short lived. He remembered reading that Tosh had been shot when she hadn't been looking, so he kept an eye out for Gray.

He felt the pain before he ever heard the shots, let alone saw the attacker. Ianto suddenly sank to the ground in a rapidly growing pool of blood.

"Ianto!" Tosh screamed, quickly grabbing a gun. She took a shot at Gray but narrowly missed his head, grazing his shoulder with the second shot as he ran out of the main area.

"Tosh? Tosh! What happened?" Ianto heard Owen cry over the comm.

"Owen! You need to hurry and get the servers back on line and get back here! Ianto's been shot!" Tosh said, trying to put pressure on the freely bleeding wound on Ianto's side.

Ianto let out a cry of pain as he tried to shift his body slightly.

"You'll be alright Ianto. We'll get everything up and running and Owen will be here to help you." Tosh said, trying to reassure him.

It took a few moments but Ianto realized he had been shot in the same shoulder that had been dislocated, there were one or two bullets lodged in his right side, and he had been shot in his left thigh. It was obvious Gray wanted him to die slowly.

"Tosh, try and get him down to the autopsy bay, get him some pain killers." said Owen over the comms.

"Can you get up Ianto?" Tosh asked.

"I can…. Try." he gasped out, breathing heavily.

The pain that ensued as Tosh helped him up almost caused him to pass out and fall back down. But he fought the urge and let Tosh lead him down to the autopsy bay as he leaned heavily against her right side.

He found himself sinking to the floor before he could reach the table though.

Tosh quickly tried to suppress the bleeding as she tied tourniquets around his shoulder and his leg with bandages she managed to find while she was trying to instruct Owen at the same time and Ianto kept his hands pressed up against the wound on his abdomen that just didn't want to stop bleeding.

"How's the pain Ianto?" Tosh asked, looking into his eyes.

Ianto was sure she could see just how much pain he was in just by looking at him.

She quickly grabbed a syringe of pain killers off of the table and jabbed it into Ianto's good leg.

The rest of the pain in his body was so intense that he hardly felt the needle as he slumped against the exam table.

After a couple of more minutes Owen seemed to have a good idea of what he needed to do.

"Owen, as soon as the first lights come on, you need to run out the door so you don't get trapped." Ianto managed to gasp as Tosh helped him apply more pressure to the freely bleeding wound since he was loosing strength. He read that Owen had gotten trapped and had died because of it. He wasn't going to let it happen again.

"Got it!" Owen said. After another moment he heard Owen make a run for the door followed by a thud and a, "Shit!"

"Owen? What happened?" Tosh asked.

"I just barely slipped out. The door caught my shoe. So I'm down a shoe, but all in all okay." Owen said, obviously starting to run out of the building.

Ianto found himself smiling weakly. "I'll get you a new pair of shoes Owen." he said softly, just glad that the medic was okay.

"First I've got to get there to make sure you'll be okay tea boy. I'm on my way! I'll be there soon!"

"I'm not going anywhere." Ianto whispered, his strength continuing to wane.

"You'll be alright Ianto, promise." Tosh said, trying to keep him focused, her hand tightly holding his. "Why did you come running up to the main area though?"

"It was either me or you. You've got a wedding in a couple of weeks Tosh. Having a broken arm is bad enough."

Tosh gently kissed his cheek, and he could feel the tears drip down her nose and onto his face. She was crying.

"Don't cry Tosh. Please. I'll be alright." he said, struggling, but keeping up the fight and not giving in. He could see Tosh wasn't believing him though.

The hub alarm sounded suddenly and before they knew it, Owen was running down into the autopsy bay, grabbing his oversized doctor's coat off the rack and skidding to a halt on his knees beside Ianto.

"Don't ever let it be said I don't do anything for you tea-boy. I practically hijacked a police officer's car and sped like hell to get here." Owen said with a smile, obviously trying to reassure him. "It was like something out a video game!"

Ianto found himself chuckling weakly as Owen checked him over.

"It looks like a bullet to the shoulder, one to the thigh and two to the abdomen. Sheesh."

"Payback for when I shot you in the shoulder." Ianto quipped.

Owen smiled at him. "Payback is one bullet to the shoulder like me. This is overkill Ianto." he said. "Tosh, help me get him up onto the table."

Ianto could help but cry out when they helped him off of the floor. The pain was intense.

"I'm sorry Ianto. Really I am." said Owen moving to his right side. "We've got to take care of this one first. Tosh did good slowing the bleeding on your shoulder and leg. But this one on your side I'm worried about."

"Can you help him Owen?" Tosh asked quietly.

"I'll do my best. You'll be alright Ianto, I'm here." Owen said, gently patting Ianto's chest.

"I feel better already." Ianto said softly with a smile.

"Oi! Don't get snarky with me!" Owen said playfully.

"I wasn't. I meant it Owen. If anyone can save me, it's you." Ianto said honestly.

Owen beamed at him, before slowly lifting Ianto's shirt and taking a look at his side. "At least it was a clean shot." he sighed.

Just then Ianto heard Tosh shout, "Jack! You're here!" and before Ianto could blink Jack was at his side.

"I'm not going to ask where you came from, but hold him down. He's going to be in a lot of pain." Owen said. "Just mind his shoulder. Your brother did a number on the poor guy."

Ianto felt Jack gently slip his arm under his neck and lift his head as he wrapped another arm around his chest. He felt safe with Jack there holding him. Then he felt Tosh take one hand, and Gwen moved beside Owen to take the other. They were all there for him and he suddenly knew he was going to be okay.

But then he felt a wave of pain wash over him, starting at his side and causing him to scream out in agony.

"I'm sorry Ianto, really I am." Owen said sincerely. "If I could keep this from hurting I would. But I can't."

Ianto just wished he could pass out as more pain shot through him. But then he felt Owen gently rub his lower chest soothingly.

"You're going to be alright Ianto. Stay awake, don't fall asleep on me." he said.

"I'm…. trying." Ianto gasped, but he felt himself fading quickly.

"No! No! Don't fall asleep!" Owen cried, gently taking hold of Ianto's ribs and shaking him slightly. "Not yet!"

His vision kept going blurry but he could see Tosh and Gwen beside him, gently squeezing his hands, tears streaming down their faces, and he could see Jack, his face full of sadness and fear as he held onto him tightly.

Suddenly he heard Owen say, "Tell me a story Ianto."

"Why?"

"Just tell me a story. I want to hear a story." Owen said. He glanced at everyone else, as if encouraging them.

"We'd like to hear a story too Ianto." said Gwen, kneeling down closer to him, gently rubbing his arm with her free hand.

"You're a great story teller Ianto." Tosh chimed in with a gentle smile.

"What kind of story?" he said, accepting their distraction tactics.

"Any story Ianto. Whatever you want to tell us about." Jack said softly, trying to smile reassuringly. But Ianto could hear the pain in his voice.

"I know! Tell us about that B-17 crew of yours!" Owen said, still working on trying to get the second bullet out. "How many crew members did you have?"

"Ten." he said, finding himself smiling.

"And what were their names?" Gwen asked smiling back at him.

"There was me, Danny, Nate, Kevin, Rob, Kennedy, Marvin, Melvin, Lewis, and Tails."

"Tails?" Owen asked.

"He was the tail gunner. So we called him Tails. I don't think he knows his first name anymore." Ianto said honestly.

"Didn't the bombers all have names?" Tosh asked. "Did yours?"

"The guys decided to call our plane 'Lady Luck' since we were lucky enough to survive every bombing mission. But we were the misfit crew. So we were the Misfits of Lady luck. We kinda fit in with Roderick's 'Mismatched Company' on the ground."

"How were you all misfits?" Jack asked,

"I was sixteen, Nate, well, he was just Nate. Rob was barely five feet tall. He was out engineer. He could barely see over the gun in the nose turret." Ianto found himself chuckling slightly at the memory of the man.

"So, what was your scariest mission?" Owen asked, trying to keep him talking.

"The day that Nate escaped from the psychiatric ward." Ianto said honestly. "I remember him sitting at the navigator's desk, with his straight jacket over his flight jacket and he kept giggling. Danny and I debated just giving him a parachute and tossing him out over the English Channel."

Everyone actually laughed a bit.

"I almost got shot in the head that mission. One bullet grazed the top of my shoulder, the other one the side of my head. I've still got the flight cap with a groove mark in it." he remembered. "I almost wasn't able to land because I was shaking so much."

"So how did you land?" Gwen asked.

"I remember everyone trying to reassure me, then I hear Nate behind me, 'Hey! Welsh boy! Which was scarier? The fact that you almost got shot in the head? Or the fact that I'm back here giggling in a straight jacket?'"

"And which did you pick?" Tosh asked smiling as her and Gwen gently squeezed his hands as he began to subtly shake.

"I told him that he was scarier. So he said 'well the sooner you land the plane the sooner you can get the fuck away from me.' and that's exactly what I did."

"I think I'd jump out of the plane to get away from that lunatic." Owen sighed, shaking his head.

Ianto cringed when he felt another twinge of pain, but he did notice that it was slowly going away.

After a moment Owen looked up at him. "Well the worst of the bleeding's finally stopped." he sighed. "But you've lost way too much blood so I don't know if I can say you're out of danger just yet."

Ianto felt himself fading again as Owen quickly worked to try and get a blood transfusion going. He did his best to stay awake, but it was getting difficult. He could hear everyone trying to talk to him, and he would respond, he just wasn't sure what he was saying. He lost track of time but after a while, Owen smiled at him with a sigh.

"You're safe now tea boy. All patched up, you're going to be awful sore for a while."

"Can I sleep now?" Ianto managed to mumble. His eyelids heavy.

"Yeah. You can sleep now."

"And… and I'll wake up again?"

"Ninety nine percent positive you will. I don't see any complications happening." Owen told him.

Ianto finally smiled, and he drifted off as Jack gently kissed his forehead.

.

Jack felt exhausted as Ianto fell asleep, both emotionally and physically. He had come so close to loosing Ianto twice in one day. Well, one day to the others. He lost track of the years between him being buried underground and frozen in the morgue.

After they were sure Ianto was going to be alright, Owen helped Tosh with her arm which was luckily a light break that would heal quickly if she was careful with it, but in the mean time she now had a proper sling to put it in.

Jack helped Owen clean up the blood everywhere in the autopsy bay and Jack couldn't help but think that all of the puddles of blood everywhere belonged to Ianto. Gray had come back, and it had hurt Jack to know what happened to him, but it hurt Jack more to know that Gray had almost killed the man he loved.

After getting Ianto cleaned up, Jack had changed him into clean clothes and Owen had helped him move the sleeping young man to the couch where he sat with Ianto's head in his lap while John's punishment for what he did was to clean up all of the blood in the main area, Ianto's and Jack's.

"There, you happy?" Hart sighed exasperatedly after he mopped up the last bit after nearly four hours.

"Not really." Owen shrugged. "You're still an arse. Maybe we'll let you feed Myfanwy."

"Who's Myfanwy?"

"No, Myfanwy only accepts Ianto and Russell you know that Owen." Jack said.

"I think that's his point, Jack." said Tosh sitting at her workstation.

"Why? What is Myfanwy?" Hart asked.

"Myfanwy is my pterodactyl." Ianto murmured, slowly waking up.

Jack smiled down at him.

"Don't let him feed my pterodactyl." Ianto said pointedly.

"How are you feeling Ianto?" asked Gwen from her desk.

"I have felt better obviously." he admitted.

Jack chuckled and leaned down to kiss the tip of his nose. "No more close calls, got that?" he said sternly.

Ianto chuckled softly, wincing at the movement but smiling anyway. "I will do my best." he said in mock seriousness. "Considering I didn't know what I was babbling on about at one point, you guys didn't make me say anything embarrassing did you?"

"Nah, we just asked a bunch of random questions, like why your sister's name is Ray Ray." said Gwen. "I find it funny that her name was Rachel Razor."

Ianto smiled, resting his hand on top of Jack's which had been sitting on his chest. "It was a joke when I said it, now she's like Tails, she never goes by Rachel."

"So what was this Tails guy's first name?" Hart asked surprising everyone. "Seriously, loved the story, genuinely curious."

"His name was Demetrius, and it never suited him in any way." he said. Then he grimaced as he made a move to sit up so Jack carefully helped him up so he could lean against the back of the couch. He looked down at the jeans and t-shirt Jack had pulled out of his locker for him. "Let me guess. My suit is ruined." He sighed.

"We did save your tie." said Tosh, holding up the black and red striped tie.

Ianto smiled a little and leaned against Jack. "Well at least something was saved."

"Yeah, the tie was the only thing, sorry." Jack said sincerely as he wrapped an arm around Ianto's shoulders. "But at least you're alive."

"At least I'm alive." Ianto agreed. He looked around the hub, then Jack noticed him staring at Owen. "Is Owen asleep? I didn't think he slept any more." he said slowly.

Jack looked up to see Owen slumped in his chair, eyes closed, mouth open.

Tosh stood up and walked over to Owen before slowly poking his shoulder. But when Owen didn't respond everyone began to worry that he was actually dead. So Tosh poked a little harder.

Everyone jumped and Tosh screamed when Owen suddenly gasped and flailed around much like Jack before falling out of his chair and onto the ground.

Then Jack noticed something odd. "Owen? Are you breathing?"

"What are you talking about? I don't breath anymore." Owen said. But he paused when he realized he was breathing heavily as if he had been running. "Holy crap, I'm breathing!" He felt his neck just to have his eyes widen. "I have a pulse again! What the hell?"

They all watched as he jumped up and ran into the autopsy bay, just to hear a loud crash and, "Fuck! That hurt! Wait! That hurt! I actually felt pain!"

Everyone glanced at each other and Jack stood up and walked to the top of the stairs in the autopsy bay where Owen was suddenly running tests on himself.

"Jack, I know this is gonna sound really weird, but I think I'm actually alive!" Owen said excitedly. Then he dashed out of the autopsy bay where he ran into a giant figure.

"Calm down. I didn't waste the opportunity to give someone a second chance just to have you fall and crack your head open." came a stern but gentle voice.

Jack turned to see Owen standing in front of Alistair, large black wings folded behind him.

"Now please sit down before you hurt yourself." the giant demon told him.

Owen quickly did as he was told and sat down in his chair.

"What are you doing here Alistair?" Jack asked.

"Checking on everyone." he said with a shrug. "Plus every once in a while I'm allowed to give someone a second chance to live. I figured that despite his snarky attitude, Owen deserved it. On one condition."

"What's that?" Owen asked.

"Slow down on the alcohol. I didn't give you your life back so you can turn back into an alcoholic, can you do that for me?"

"yeah, I guess I can." Owen shrugged. "So I'm alive again, and the only strings attached is for me to be a reformed alcoholic?"

"Essentially yes."

Jack found himself smiling. Everything was back to normal finally. He knew the day could have ended so much worse then it did. But everyone was alive, and while he was very upset about what had happened to Gray, at least he now knew where is brother was. He was surprised and brought out of his thoughts when Alistair walked over to him.

"You're lucky I found you. I'm sorry I couldn't unbury you, but I could at least keep your deaths to a minimum." he said kindly. "You suffered about twenty five deaths where you should've suffered hundreds of thousands. And as for your brother, keep him on ice, you got that? If not, his soul is mine."

Jack gulped a little. "I will keep that in mind."

"So… who is the giant?" Hart asked.

"He's my brother." Ianto said with a shrug.

"My future brother in law." Tosh added.

"You sir, are lucky you're not already mine." Alistair told the man.

"So if he dies, you take him?" Ianto asked.

Alistair nodded.

After a moment Ianto said, "Can you take him before he dies?"

"No. We all know what kind of trouble that can lead to." Alistair sighed.

"Well rats." Ianto sighed. "Can Aldair chew on him for a bit?"

It was then that Jack saw the giant anteater sitting beside Ianto, his snout resting in the young man's lap.

"He probably tastes nasty." the anteater said, gently patting Ianto's cheek with his nose.

"It's a talking anteater." Gwen said.

"His name is Aldair." said Jack. "Even I don't mess with him."

"How would he chew on the bastard anyway?" Owen asked.

"He couldn't!" Hart laughed. "It's just a dumb animal."

Aldair quickly turned on the man.

"Wrong thing to say Hart." said Jack honestly.

"I'll have you know that I could take your head off in one bite!" Aldair snarled, baring a few long fangs.

Hart began backing up against the railing behind the workstations, not so cocky anymore and when Aldair revealed all of his teeth in a loud roar Hart went tumbling over the railing to land face first in the shallow water below.

Aldair just chuckled and opened his snout with a hiss letting several nasty globs of saliva drip down.

"Oh God! That's disgusting!" Jack heard Hart cry making him laugh.

"Did you stop taking your medication Aldair?" Alistair asked, looking down at the anteater with a raised brow.

"Niles is still in the middle of cooking up another batch." he said walking over to Tosh's workstation.

Tosh smiled and sat down on the ground, wrapping her good arm around him and burying her fingers in his long fur. "You know, despite the teeth, you're kinda cute Aldair." she said with a smile.

"What is this stuff!" Hart cried, walking up the steps, covered in very thick, very disgusting goop.

"That is the reason no one shares a pillow with Aldair anymore." said Ianto with a smile. "It's like glue!"

"It's like Lulu snot!" Tosh chimed in.

"It's worse." Ianto admitted.

"Eww! Don't you come near me then!" Owen said, scooting his chair away making Hart scowl at him.

"Alright, I cleaned up the mess, and was thoroughly embarrassed by an anteater, can I go?" Hart asked exasperatedly.

"Fine, get out of my hub." Jack growled at the man.

"And don't come back!" Gwen added.

"Or next time we'll feed you to Janet." Owen said.

"Or worse, we'll let Ianto and Stella beat you up." Tosh agreed.

"God no!" Hart groaned. Then he pulled out his vortex manipulator and disappeared.

"So, what are you?" Owen asked Alistair. "Cause when I met you, you didn't have wings.

"I am the King of the Demons and Master of Dark souls."

"I thought Abbadon was king of the demons." said Gwen.

"He was. Till I took power and locked him in the castle basement." Alistair shrugged with a smile. "He was such a noisy bastard too."

"If only opening the rift meant releasing you instead." Owen sighed.

Alistair chuckled. "Well thanks to you lot, the castle is quiet for once. Now then, are you guys coming home with me or not?"

Everyone starred at him before looking at each other, obviously confused.

"Don't tell me you forgot about today?" Alistair sighed. "I mean, I know it was a crazy day but really."

"What's today?" Ianto asked slowly.

"I should've known you'd forget your own birthday." he muttered shaking his head.

"Oh yeah! We did forget that didn't we?" Gwen asked blushing.

"At least I have an excuse." Jack pointed out.

"You're the only one." Alistair said, pointing at him. With a snap of his fingers a large black door appeared. "Alright then, come on everybody."

He opened the door and Jack smiled when he saw Ianto's bedroom in California and sitting on the couch with Lana the cheetah was Stella and Russell.

"Hey! You guys coming or what?" Russell called with a smile.

Tosh was the first one to make her way through the door, followed by Aldair, then tentatively by Owen and Gwen.

Jack helped Ianto up off of the couch before they slowly made their way towards the door. But Alistair stopped them for a moment.

"You two did very good today." he told them affectionately. "I'm very proud of you both."

Jack and Ianto smiled like children then they walked into the room where Ianto slowly sat down on the bed.

"How are you feeling Tad? Tosh called to tell us what happened." Stella said concerned.

"I'll live thanks to Owen." Ianto said honestly as Jack sat beside him.

Suddenly the door and Alistair disappeared, leaving them in the bedroom which was still full of bright California sunshine.

Jack smiled as Gwen, Tosh and Owen explored the bedroom.

"There is no way this is your bedroom." Owen said looking around.

"This is my bedroom." Ianto confirmed with a smile.

"We were having fun with the other kids." Russell said honestly. "You've got a crazy lot of brothers and sisters Mr. Jones."

"You get used to them with time." he shrugged.

"I just realized Rhys doesn't know where I am." Gwen said slowly.

Ianto smiled, "I've got an idea." he said, standing up and slowly limping over to Gwen who was standing by the bookshelves near his closet. "Call Rhys and tell me exactly where he is." he said picking up a piece of chalk off of the shelf.

Gwen just shrugged and called Rhys giving Ianto a precise location that he wrote on the chalkboard green door.

Ianto smiled and opened what should have been his closet just to see Rhys and P.C. Andy Davidson standing in the hallway of the police station.

"Hi there!" he said smiling causing the two to let out high pitched screams and jump against the wall.

Gwen poked her head through the door. "This is the door to the storage closet on the third floor of the station." she said in awe.

"Yes, yes it is." said Ianto with a chuckle. "Now then, you two are welcome to come join us if you'd like."

"Where are you?" Rhys asked in awe.

"Ianto's bedroom." said Gwen with a smile. "Apparently we get to meet his family since it's his birthday today."

Rhys slowly walked through the door and was obviously somewhat disbelieving about what was in front of him.

"Why me?" Andy asked cautiously.

"You work with us enough Mr. Davidson, you might as well get to know us." said Ianto with a smile. "Come on then."

Andy joined them in the room and Ianto shut the door and took an eraser to the writing on the door.

"Find a seat, make yourselves comfortable." said Ianto.

Rhys walked over to the couch but paused when he saw Lana. "There's a cheetah on your couch."

"Come here Lana." Jack called, patting the mattress beside him.

The cheetah immediately jumped off of the couch and jumped up next to Jack, cuddling with him.

"Have you got a license for that thing?" Andy asked.

"This home is part animal sanctuary Mr. Davidson, we have licenses for just about any type of animal you can imagine." said Ianto. "Like I'm sure something is under the bed at the moment."

Jack leaned over and peaked under the bed to find a big pink nose in his face. "Yeah. There's something under here." he admitted sitting up.

"Ruby, out from under there this instant." said Ianto with a smile.

The pretty orange marmalade tiger that Jack found to be so affectionate crawled out from under the bed.

"That's Ruby. She's miss Sapphire's sister."

"Oh she's pretty." said Gwen.

"And cuddly." said Tosh gently scratching Ruby's ears from her spot on the bean bag chair.

"Is…. Is that a polar bear in the back yard?" Owen asked looking out the window.

"That's Allie." said Jack with a smile.

Gwen on the other hand was too busy looking at Ianto's book collection. "You read a lot Ianto?"

"I love to read." he said honestly. He then looked at Owen. "And Owen, I just realized that you have one shoe and one bloody sock."

Owen looked down at his feet. "So I do. I bet the other one was disintegrated at the power plant." he said thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, I could probably use a change of clothes."

"I think most of us could use a change of clothes." Jack agreed.

Everyone else nodded.

"Right. So can that magic closet get us a change of clothes?" Gwen asked.

Ianto turned and wrote 'Owen Harper's closet, Cardiff U.K.' on the door and opened it up.

Owen walked inside. "What do you know, its my closet." after a moment inside he returned with a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom across the room.

Then Ianto erased it and wrote, 'Jack and Ianto's closet,' before opening it up and pulling out a change of clothes for Jack.

"You really don't have many choices for clothes do you Jack?" Gwen asked.

"Not really." Jack admitted, somewhat surprised when Ianto tossed him his blue and white striped shirt and waist coat.

"So now you're going to wear a shirt that you've only worn once since I met you." Ianto said smiling.

Jack chuckled and shook his head before heading into the bathroom after Owen had walked out in clean clothes with a pair of shoes.

Soon everyone had a chance to change their clothes, including Andy, who was really quite perplexed by the group.

"You're the only one that hasn't changed Ianto." Gwen pointed out.

"That's because I don't need a suit from my closet back home." he admitted disappearing into his closet.

Jack smiled when Ianto returned in a clean pair of jeans and his favorite baseball jersey.

"I can't believe I'm looking at tea boy, in jeans and a baseball jersey. This is just an all out odd day." Owen said.

"Stranger then the gay talking dog?" Gwen giggled.

"God! Are you ever going to believe me? Ianto's Aunt has a gay talking dog!" Owen sighed exasperatedly.

"Leave him alone Gwen, or one day I'll make sure you have to deal with the fuzzy little jerk yourself." Ianto chided as if she was a sister.

"Trainor isn't the oddest thing in the family mind you." Jack admitted.

Just then there was a quiet knock and Niles poked his head in. "Hello!" he said excitedly. "Mind if I join?"

"Come on in Niles." said Ianto sitting beside Jack.

Niles grinned and walked in, half carrying, half dragging poor Larry along with him.

"You're right, the talking dog wasn't the oddest thing in the family." Owen said.

"Poor Larry! What are you doing to him?" Tosh sighed with a smile.

"Sorry. I was excited and Larry moves too slow." Niles said with a giggle. Then he turned to everyone and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Niles, this is Larry. Pleasure to meet you all."

"Is that a komodo dragon?" Andy asked slowly.

"Yup. He's my best friend too!"

"Wow. So the stories you and James told us were real." said Owen.

"What? You think we make these things up?" James asked joining them. He immediately walked over and sat with Tosh, holding her close.

"Who's making up stories?" asked Gareth poking his head in.

Everyone starred.

"You look just like Ianto!" Gwen gasped.

"I'm his twin, I better look like him." Gareth said as Alonso followed him.

"You opened up a can of worms Niles. Now everyone's appearing out of no where." Ianto sighed with a smile.

"You have a twin tea boy?" Owen asked.

"Yup." Ianto said smiling.

"And my squadron calls me tea boy too." Gareth said with a smile as he and Alonso found seats on the floor, leaning against the end of the bed.

"Ironic." Owen snarked.

"The biggest difference is he's a loud mouth." Ianto said.

"I am a loud mouth!" Gareth laughed. "I keep driving the commander nuts because of it!"

Jack just shook his head and gently whacked the young man on the top of the head.

"Hey! You're not my commanding officer!" he grumbled.

"No, he's closer to being your brother in law." said James with a grin. "Meaning he gets to pick on your relentlessly."

"Ooh! Does that mean I get to pick on you too?" Jack asked excitedly.

"As long as their considered a brother, adoptive, surrogate, or in law, they're fair game." Ianto said with a chuckle.

James made a face at Ianto, sticking out his tongue and Ianto stuck his out in response. But James just made another face at him.

"You know, if I wasn't hurt, I'd take this outside." Ianto said stubbornly.

"Yes! We're free from Ianto pounces!" James said excitedly sharing a high five with Gareth.

"For now, then it's payback." Ianto warned them.

"We can wait." Gareth muttered.

Just then there was a loud boom from down the hall making everyone jump.

"Niles!" came an anguished cry.

Everyone looked at Niles.

"Oopsie…"

It wasn't long before Quentin Midnightstar and Miss. Sapphire were standing in the doorway, angry and covered in bright red goo.

"Uh….. I forgot to put the stopper back on my beaker didn't I?" Niles asked blushing.

"Yes, and now you're going to get this nasty junk off of Sapphire and I, got that?" he said sternly.

Niles stood up and sullenly walked out of the room, his shoulders slumped.

"Dare we ask?" James said slowly.

"You probably don't want to know." Quentin sighed.

Suddenly Niles returned with two beakers of orange liquid. "Here dad." he said handing one to Quentin. "Come on Miss Sapphire, let's get you cleaned up."

And with that Quentin and Sapphire followed Niles down the hall.

"What was that boy even doing?" Rhys asked.

"Niles is a chemistry genius." said James. "His bedroom is like a mad scientist's laboratory."

"Is that an anteater with a skirt?" Andy asked, pointing to the door.

"Hello Farah, come here cutie." said Alonso with a smile.

Farah walked over and found a comfortable spot in Alonso's lap.

"That's Tara's anteater." said Ianto. "Farah likes to play dress up."

"So, what kind of place is this anyway Ianto?" Rhys asked curiously as he scratched the marmalade tiger on the head.

"This is one of our sanctuaries." Ianto explained. "The oldest one is run by my Uncle Conner in Virginia. That's Midnight Sanctuary. This is Midnightstar Sanctuary."

"Ianto was the first one adopted here. I was the second." James said. "Them Tim and Ray Ray."

"You guys really do call your sister Ray Ray." said Owen.

"Yes, we really call our sister Ray Ray." James said with a smile. "Always have. Anyway, we're off of the coast of Oceanside California. Kinda in between San Clemente island and Catalina island."

"So you're saying that I walked through that door and ended up going from Cardiff to California?" Andy asked.

"You get used to the doors." Jack shrugged with a smile.

Just then there was a high pitched whistle coming from down the hall.

"That would be the dinner whistle." said James smiling.

"What kind of whistle was that?" Rhys asked.

"Boatswains pipe." Ianto said with a smile as he slid off the bed. "My dad's a ship captain, and that's how they signal things on a ship. So that's how we know, time to get up, time for breakfast, time for lunch, all that good stuff."

Just then Niles ran back into the room with a little test tube of bubbling blue liquid.

"Here Ianto, drink this." he said holding the test tube out.

Ianto eyed it suspiciously. "Why? What is it?"

"You drink half, give the other half to Miss Tosh. You'll be able to get around easier." he said.

"Since when is this stuff blue?" Ianto asked slowly.

"Since I refined the formula. Just trust me, Grandpa Ashtor and Jeremy take it all of the time."

Ianto cautiously drank half of the liquid before handing it to Tosh.

"What is it?" Tosh asked.

"Nile's version of industrial strength pain killer."

"Your grandpa was telling me about that stuff." Owen said.

"It works." Ianto said honestly. "And fast."

Tosh drank the rest of the liquid. "It tastes like blue raspberry candy." she said surprised. "And it does work fast, which is nice because my arm was getting sore."

"Okay, I've got to talk to you about that stuff," said Owen smiling. "I'm impressed."

"I'd be more then glad to help you out Dr. Harper." said Niles grinning. "Now come on! Everyone else has already ran downstairs."

"How many people are here?" Andy asked.

"With you guys? Maybe about thirty five." Niles shrugged. "All family."

"I suddenly feel out of place." said Rhys.

"No need to." Niles said tugging on his hand. "We're friendly and none of us bite."

"Some how that's the least of my worries." Rhys chuckled, letting Niles lead the way out of the room.

The group made their way down the hall where they found Jeremy just walking out of his room.

"Hello!" he said smiling at everyone. "I'm Jeremy."

"Twins." Owen said surprised. "How many twins are in your family?"

"Lets see, there's about…." Ianto paused and counted on his fingers. "Four pairs of identical twins, we have a set of Quints in our cousins and about ten pairs of fraternal twins."

"The family for twins and for giants apparently." Jack chuckled.

"So did anyone make sure Tucker wasn't distracted and went downstairs?" James asked.

"No, I don't believe so." Jeremy admitted.

Ianto knocked on the door next to Jeremy's that had tucker's name on it.

"Come in!" came an obviously distracted voice.

Ianto opened the door and everyone looked inside to find Tucker on the far end of the room scribbling on the wall, a book in one hand, his head tilted to the side as he continuously muttered to himself.

Tucker's room was like a whole other world. The lights were off and there were dark blue walls full of glowing stars and planets and chalk drawings of formulas, one wall had several large computer screens beside the television, and his bed and bookshelf were stuffed in a corner, leaving all sorts of strange models everywhere and a wall full of Tucker's work.

"What on earth are you doing in here?" Andy asked.

"Wibbly wobbly stuff Mr. Davidson." said Tucker matter of factly without turning around.

"What the heck is wibbly wobbly stuff?" Rhys asked.

"It apparently goes hand in hand with timey whimy stuff." said Jack with a chuckle.

"Precisely Jack!" said Tucker still writing on the wall. "Wibbly wobbly timey whimy."

"Tucker, didn't you hear the dinner whistle?" Niles asked.

"Yes, but I'm almost done!" he said, continuing to scribble furiously. "Feel free to come in. I promise you're safe."

"His room is safer then mine." Niles pointed out.

Everyone slowly walked in and starred at everything in awe.

"So…. .what kind of wibbly wobbly stuff are you working on Tucker?" Ianto asked slowly.

"Formulas for how to jump from one parallel universe to another without tearing a hole in either universe, and skipping over the void, meaning no 'void stuff' as dad calls it." he said. "Long story. It's kinda like…. Trying to prevent something like Canary Wharf from happening again." After a moment he snapped the book shut and turned to smile at them. "You're now looking at the other reason why everyone in my school picks on me."

"This stuff is amazing Tucker!" said Tosh in awe.

Jack and Ianto smiled at each other, knowing that being home and displaying his genius was giving him confidence in his work.

"That and I play to many video games." he admitted with a grin. "Anyway! Dinner time, yeah?"

"Dinner time." Ianto said with a smile.

So the group headed downstairs, somewhat slowly because of Ianto and Jeremy since Jeremy obviously wasn't going to bound down the stairs with his crippled leg and Ianto wasn't going to run with bullet wounds, after all, he wasn't Alan.

Downstairs, Jack and even Tosh found themselves feeling extremely comfortable around the family while Owen, Gwen, Rhys, and especially Andy were very overwhelmed but happy anyway. There were some new family members that Jack had yet to meet, like the famous Ray Ray who was actually a very pretty young lady who was one month younger than Ianto, and Alistair had shown up with Kit and Lilly, Roderick, and Braydon and their children, Roderick's wife Serenity, and Braydon's husband, the strange man named Lloyd, and of course Sahara who was now four months pregnant with twins.

Ianto had apparently made it clear that he wanted dinner to be just like it was every night, and so everyone talked about anything and everything, Russell and Stella gladly contributing to the conversations, even telling everyone that Tucker somehow managed to turn their bowling game into an enjoyable physics lesson the first night they met.

Jack enjoyed listening to the new stories that everyone had to tell and even Owen and Gwen managed a few stories when asked. Rhys and Andy too. It was like a large family dinner full of chatter and laughter and despite everything that had happened the day before, the entire group was positively beaming, Tosh and Ianto ignoring their injuries with help from Niles's strange concoction, Gwen and Owen just enjoying the children and their company, and Jack remembering that even though he had lost Gray for whatever reason that day, he had gained so much in the last few years.

After a few hours of fun, when all of the younger children had gone to bed, they all headed out to Ianto's hideaway and watched the moon over the water as they all sat with sodas on couches and chairs and beanbags.

"So, who else agrees that this was an enjoyable end to a disastrous day?" Owen asked.

Everyone chimed in their agreements.

"I must admit, being home does make all the difference." Ianto said with a smile.

"I don't have to call them all aunt and uncle do I Tad?" Stella asked, obviously referring to Ianto's many siblings.

"Nope. Most of them really don't care." Ianto said with a shrug.

"I would prefer to not be called Uncle Tucker." Tucker admitted from his spot on the rug beside the two teens. "Not yet anyway."

"You're family is nuts Ianto." said Rhys with a smile. "But they're very fun to be around."

"At least I know that you're family wasn't as scary as your Aunt Abby and Uncle Travis."

"Yet, the keyword is yet Owen. You haven't met my cousins." Ianto said.

"I will gladly stay away from your cousins." Owen said seriously making everyone laugh.

"I dunno, it might be interesting." Andy shrugged. "A bit scary mind you."

"Did we mention our Uncle Conner is over six hundred years old?" James asked.

"I met the man, he's got some dust in the attic. But all in all he's not bad." Alonso said. "He does have some crazy kids though."

"But it is fun exploring the grounds of Midnight Sanctuary." James said.

"It is." Ianto agreed. "It's hundreds of acres of forest and tons of hidden rooms with all sorts of neat things in them. I personally liked the tunnel to the room with all the crazy gadgets and stuff."

"Oh that tunnel was fun!" James agreed. "How the painted walls turned into this big field with a stream and everything! That was the best tunnel ever!"

"I kinda like the one that leads to all of the 16th century stuff. You get to see inside the marine animal tanks on the side of the house." Tucker admitted. "I like Amy, she's a wholphin."

"What's a wholphin?" Russell asked.

"She's part false killer whale, part dolphin. Pretty cool really." Tucker said.

"Sounds like it." Russell agreed.

"I just realized, no one fed Janet or Myfanwy did they?" Ianto said suddenly

"I fed them before we left." said Russell. "They should be fine for the night."

"At least we know that they've been taken care of." Ianto said.

Later that night everyone had gone back into the house, Quentin giving them each a room to sleep in.

Jack was more then content to lie in bed with Ianto, his arm gently resting across Ianto's chest.

"I'm sorry Gray hurt you Ianto." Jack whispered.

"It was either me or Tosh." Ianto said quietly.

"You always put your life on the line for others I've noticed." he said, shifting so he could look into Ianto's eyes.

"I don't want to loose anyone." he said honestly.

Jack leaned up and gently kissed Ianto on the lips. "I don't want to loose anyone either. But I really don't want to loose you Ianto. Not before I have to."

"I realized something in that warehouse. While I accepted that I'll die early in life, that doesn't mean I want to. I'll keep fighting to live until there's nothing left in me."

Jack smiled slightly. "You fought valiantly today Ianto. I'm glad you've decided you want to live for as long as possible."

Ianto smiled back and snuggled against him.

"So, I can kinda see inviting Rhys, but P.C. Davidson?"

"We may want to start thinking about expanding the team a bit Jack. Especially considering Tosh will be leaving. P.C. Davidson is a good guy and I think he'd do well with the team."

Jack chuckled. "We'll have to see."

"He does make a great police liaison, and he seems to have a basic grip on what we do." Ianto pointed out.

"Like I said, we'll have to see. But for now. Get some sleep." he said, tenderly kissing Ianto's forehead.

"No problem there." Ianto yawned.

Jack watched as Ianto fell asleep and before long, he drifted off to sleep with him, glad that such a horrible day had turned into something amazing.

.

.

.

A/N: alright, like I said happy ending. I hope you all enjoyed! Personally I like Rhys and Andy so I was kinda hoping to add them into the story a little more. Anyway, let me know what you guys think of the chapter!


	56. records progress the man in a blue coat

A/N: okay, sorry I haven't had time to update as much as usual, but I'm trying. I know where I'm trying to go. This is the start of an extra little story inside the main story that I hope you guys enjoy.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood.

.

.

.

When Ianto woke in the middle of the night, he felt the slight tinge of pain in his side meaning it was almost time for another dose of pain medication. But after a moment he realized that the pain wasn't exactly what woke him up.

Jack was behind him, seemingly asleep, but Ianto knew better.

"Jack, what are you doing, thinking so hard this early in the morning?" he sighed.

"How did you know I was awake?" Jack asked, his voice muffled since his face was buried against Ianto's shoulder blades.

"You're thoughts are so prominent that I can hear you thinking. I don't know what you're thinking. I just know that you are." He slowly rolled over enough to look into Jack's eyes. "Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Jack let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry Ianto. I was just…."

"Don't say you were just thinking, that much is obvious." Ianto interjected, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. "The question is not about if you were thinking, it's about what you were thinking about. Or are still thinking about, considering your brain is about to go into complete meltdown if you don't stop."

"It's a long story."

"I've obviously got time." Ianto shrugged. Then he let out a heavy sigh, ignoring the slight stab of pain it caused. "Really Jack, you can't just hide everything forever. You of all people know that bottling everything up inside is dangerous."

"I guess….." Jack paused as if trying to find the right words.

"Go on, I'm listening." Ianto said softly.

"I guess I'm just afraid that if I tell you some of the things I've done in my life, you might not love me as much." Jack said, his voice small, like a shy child.

Ianto wrapped his arm around him and gently rubbed his back. "Jack, let me make something clear to you. I love you, everything about you, but especially who you are. I love you, because of your flamboyant and occasionally childish personality, your confidence, even how annoyingly secretive you are. The thing is, if you hadn't of gone through whatever you did in your ridiculously long life, you wouldn't be the man I love. You would be someone completely different. I really don't care what you've done, it's made you the person you are now. The person I adore completely. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, thanks Ianto." Jack said with a tiny smile.

"So, what exactly did the time agency do?" Ianto asked curiously.

"Think of them as time thieves unfortunately."

"So you're a reformed thief huh?" he asked with a tiny smile.

"Something like that." Jack shrugged, obviously embarrassed. "I was good at cons."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm a reformed pick pocket." Ianto admitted.

Jack starred. "Don't kid. You told me that the theft in your file was fabricated, remember?"

"It was." Ianto said with a tiny smile. "That said I stole from a store when I was seventeen. I was a pickpocket when I was thirteen. It was one of those cries for attention I suppose. I was wondering if dad would notice, or if I got caught, they'd put me in foster care instead of returning me to my dad."

"You're serious?" Jack asked astonished.

"I am." he nodded, remembering just what got him into trouble. "I used to pick pocket wallets, I'd never take the money or anything from them, but I would leave them lying around the house to see if my dad noticed. He never did. I'd always return the wallet to it's rightful owner by putting it in a little box and leaving it at their door with an apology note."

"That really is more of a cry for attention." Jack said with a tiny smile.

"I was caught once. But not by the guy I stole it from, it was this lady that was watching me. I went to jail for the night when the P.C.s couldn't get a hold of my dad. The next day they took me home and when my father didn't answer the door, I let them inside and my dad was passed out drunk at the kitchen table, surrounded by empty beer bottles. I told the P.C. to take me back to jail. I decided I'd rather be in a cell for a week then deal with my dad. Rhiannon eventually came and got me, took me to stay with her for a few days. I only pick pocketed one or two more wallets after that, then gave up."

"That was never in your records." Jack pointed out.

"That's because most of my records were erased. My dad has a hard copy of all of my original records in his office. Other then that, all of my medical and criminal records have been erased." he said honestly.

"Does your dad do that for most of the kids?" he asked curiously.

"Those of us that have had a little too much trouble, yes." he admitted. After a moment he shifted and slowly sat up before getting out of bed and putting on a pair of sweat pants. "Come with me." he said, hoping that showing Jack something he hid would mean Jack might open up just a little bit more.

Jack wordlessly got up and put on his slacks before following Ianto out of the room.

Ianto led Jack downstairs and down the long hall that was under the girl's wing of the house.

"I don't think I've been down here." Jack said honestly.

"I'm pretty sure you haven't. This is the hall with our progress wall, and at the end, is the staircase to Dad's office." Ianto said, heading down the hall that was lit up by the moon light shining in through the large bay windows.

"What's the progress wall?" Jack asked.

"it's the wall that we use to measure ourselves. Kinda like a version of a kid's growth chart." Ianto explained. He pointed to the bright blue spot beside them. "This one's Kit's."

Jack looked at the wall in curiosity.

The wall showed Kit's growth chart from the day he arrived to where he was measured once every month. It showed that he had grown nearly a foot since he had arrived almost two years before. But beside each measurement was a picture. The first one showed a very shy, very scared Kit, sitting in Ianto's arms, his face buried in Ianto's shoulder. The one from the current month had Kit with a huge grin as he happily posed for the photograph. The pictures between the two showing his drastic change.

"Do you have a spot?" Jack asked slowly.

"Mine is at the end, since I was the first one here." Ianto told him, pointing down the long hall. "Next to dad's office."

"Can I see?"

Ianto smiled a little and nodded. "Come with me then." he said.

Jack followed him down the long hall to the very end.

Ianto still remembered the day he started his spot on the progress wall. It was the day after he had first moved in.

His spot was a large painted maroon strip on the pristine white wall with his name written on the top in big bold, blue letters.

"Did Kit have his name written on his spot? I didn't see it?" Jack said.

"Kit's full name is Khristopher Korringthander Kannington Khristopherson. Don't ask who named him, but that's why we call him Kit." Ianto said with a tiny smile.

Jack winced, "Ouch, poor Kit. That's terrible!"

Ianto laughed softly. "Like I said, that's why we call him Kit." he admitted.

Jack just shook his head and went back to looking at the wall. "You looked scared." he said softly.

Ianto looked down at the first picture. He had only been about 5'5" when he had arrived at the home. His first picture showed him in clothes that were just a bit too big for him, hanging loosely on his gangly, awkward frame, sitting on a bench next to Sarah in Cardiff bay, shy and worried about what was really going to happen to him.

"I don't know if I was scared, or…. If I was more sad." he said honestly, not sure why he thought that.

Jack continued looking at the pictures of him over the years, Ianto had grown nearly six inches since he had moved in and every month he changed just a little bit. There were pictures of Ianto's high school and college graduations, and the most recent was a picture of him and Jack together with Stella sitting together in the boardroom eating lunch, a picture that Tosh had taken saying that they looked like a proper family.

Jack turned to see James's spot beside Ianto's. "Didn't want to take a picture, did he?" Jack asked.

Ianto smiled a little seeing the picture of James hiding his face behind his biology book. "Hence why we call this the progress wall, it shows progress."

Jack just chuckled softly and shook his head. "So is this what you wanted to show me?"

"No, actually. Come on, I get the feeling dad's down in his office." he said leading the way to a set of stairs that led downward.

At the bottom of the stairs was a door and they could see light coming from the crack beneath it.

Ianto knocked on the door quietly and after a moment his father answered.

"What are you doing up so late? I mean, I'm not saying you have a bedtime but…. Really." Quentin said with a smile.

"Hey dad, do you still have my original records?" Ianto asked curiously.

Quentin tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "What on earth for?" he asked.

"Jack doesn't believe that I ever had a criminal record."

Quentin smiled a little. "Alright then, give me a moment, my office is rather unorganized. Come on in though, make yourselves comfortable."

Ianto and Jack walked into the room and Ianto smiled. The office was just like he had remembered it. It resembled what it would be like if all of the computers in the hub plus half of the archives had been stuffed into one room. Ianto used to spend long days in his father's office whenever the man was deployed.

"Wow, kinda….. Crazy down here, isn't it?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yeah…. Sorry, I'm not so organized. I just got home last week." Quentin admitted from somewhere in the back behind several shelves. "Now, Ianto said that you didn't believe that he ever had a criminal record, am I right?"

"I've never seen it." said Jack looking at a shelf full of naval ship models.

"That's because in my family, we're very good at making records disappear. Ah! Here it is! It got buried a bit. Ianto Jones, arrested for pick pocketing a gentleman's wallet at the age of twelve. Apparently though you've managed to snatch more then one wallet." Quentin said, walking into the room with a large file. He handed it to Ianto. "Is this what you were looking for?" he asked with a smile.

"Yup." Ianto opened the file and found everything from his old life in the documents. Then he handed it to Jack. "Here, something for you to laugh at. Now, come on, let's got back to the room, thanks dad." He gently ushered Jack out of the office as Quentin said good night.

But just as they reached the hallway Ianto heard his dad call for him.

"Oh, Ianto? Can I talk to you for a moment?" he called up the stairs.

Ianto turned to look at him, confusion etched on his face. Then he turned to Jack, "You can find you're way back to the room, yeah?" he asked.

"Mmm hmm…" Jack muttered, too busy reading. Then he turned and walked down the hall.

Ianto smiled and shook his head a little, then he turned and joined Quentin back in the office. "Yes sir?"

"Sit down Sport, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Umm… okay…" he muttered, sitting down in the extra seat by his father's desk. "What about?"

"Ianto, do you remember the man in the big blue coat you told me about, when you first moved in?" Quentin asked curiously.

Ianto blinked in confusion. "No…. Why? What man?"

"Well when you first moved in, I asked you if there was anything you would miss about Cardiff. You said that you would miss the man in the big blue coat that used to sit with you on the bench by the bay everyday. I guess you never knew his name, but he was very nice to you for three and a half years."

Ianto tilted his head to the side trying to think. The only man in a big blue coat that ever spent time around Cardiff bay was Jack, and yet, he never remembered Jack sitting with him when he was a child. He shook his head. "No, I don't remember dad."

"Well I do." Quentin said. "Because that man confronted me when I went to go get lunch the day your mother and I took you out. He demanded to know who I was and what I was doing with you, and if I was going to take you away. That's why I was gone later that night, I was talking to him at a pub."

Ianto couldn't remember ever talking to someone, he had no idea why though.

"I believe that Jack has cared about you for longer then you realize Ianto. Though I can't help but wonder if part of why you can't remember was because your last memory of the man was when you attempted suicide, so maybe you locked all of those memories away for some reason."

"You know it was Jack?" Ianto asked.

"I'm pretty positive." he said with a nod. "Go ask him."

Ianto was wondering if what his father was saying was true, but if it was, why did Jack never tell him. After a moment he stood up with a sigh. "We'll see about it dad. But for now, I could use some sleep."

"Alright, good night Sport."

"Good night dad." Ianto said, then he walked out of the office. But as he saw his spot on the wall, he paused and picked up the picture of him sitting with Sarah on the bench by the bay. This time though, when he looked closer, he saw a man in a large blue coat, standing about ten feet behind them.

It was Jack, watching, a sad smile on his face.

Ianto had no idea how long he starred at that picture, but after a while, he put it back on the wall and headed back upstairs, memories suddenly coming flooding back, memories of Jack, when Ianto was just a teenager.

.

.

.

A/N: alright, kind of short, but if you guys are curious about what this is the beginning to, leave me a review, and maybe tomorrow, I'll have the next chapter up and all will slowly be made clear. I hope you guys like my extra little surprise!


	57. A little revelation

A/N: I'm so sorry it took me forever to get this short chapter up, but I've been super busy with a new job and stuck with some writer's block! I'm trying to get back into the story, so hopefully I'll get another one up tomorrow night! Sorry again! But I hope everyone likes it!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood.

.

.

.

When Ianto walked into the bedroom Jack had pretended to be asleep, sensing something was bothering Ianto, realizing that he wanted to be left alone as he sat on the couch. Jack couldn't help but wonder just what it was that Ianto's father had talked to him about and why he was now sitting alone.

After a while Ianto climbed back into bed and Jack gently wrapped an arm around his lover's midriff.

"I'm sorry Cariad, did I wake you?" Ianto asked softly.

"No, you didn't wake me." he told Ianto honestly. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"Jack, when was the first time we ever met?" Ianto asked slowly.

Jack was somewhat startled for a moment. Of course, he remembered the first day he had ever met Ianto.

The young man had been about eleven years old at the time, sitting alone on a bench by the bay in the cold as it began to snow.

Jack had felt like he couldn't just leave the boy alone in the snow, so he had walked out of the hub with a blanket, and wrapped it around the young boy before sitting beside him and talking the day away.

After that Jack had found himself sitting with Ianto on that bench almost every day for three years.

"When do you think the first time we met was?" Jack asked curiously.

"I remember, one time when you visited Torchwood tower. I was down in the archives and you were walking with Yvonne Hartman. You accidentally bumped into me. I believe that was the first time we met."

Jack wanted to sigh. He had quickly realized that Ianto appeared to have forgotten all of the time they had spent together on that bench by the bay.

"Ianto, how come you can't remember anymore?" Jack asked slowly.

Ianto slowly rolled over and looked at him. "Remember what? I remember meeting you in the archives of Torchwood one."

"You were eleven and you were sitting alone by the bay. So I sat with you. It's like…. You forgot I existed Ianto." he admitted, somewhat sadly.

"So… You're the man in the big blue coat that confronted dad when he went to adopt me?"

Jack chuckled and nodded. He remembered that day very well.

.

It was a somewhat cloudy day in Cardiff as Jack walked along the bay. It had been nearly a week since Ianto had tried to take his own life. Jack had been terrified as the boy had thanked him for not letting him die alone, and he refused to let it happen.

He couldn't help but smile as he remembered the two days Ianto had spent in the hub with him, recovering. But then he had retconed Ianto, a short term dose, just enough to forget that he had attempted suicide and spent two days in the hub, then he had taken him to the hospital.

Jack had been worried since he hadn't seen Ianto on their bench since. But today was different, Ianto was on the bench, still wearing the dark blue shirt, and brown slacks that Jack had given him, and this time he was with a young couple.

Jack felt himself tense, he had no idea who these two people were, and as for what they were doing with the boy, he had no idea. So he waited for the man to walk away towards a fish and chips stand and he cornered him.

"Hi there." he said, trying to be cheerful. Jack noticed that the man was at least a good two inches taller, but that didn't deter him.

The man stopped and looked down at him. "Hello." he said slowly. He sounded American. "Can I help you sir?"

"Yes, I'm just curious as to who you are and what you're doing with that boy." he said bluntly.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." the man said.

"That boy's well being is my business. Now who are you?"

"Who are you?" the man inquired,

Jack narrowed his eyes, staring the man down. "Captain Jack Harkness." he said, knowing that using his title as captain meant most people would back down. "And you are?"

"Commander Quentin Midnightstar. United States Navy." the man said in a commanding tone. It was obvious he wasn't going to relent. "As for the boy, I am adopting him. Do you have a problem with that, _Captain_?" The last word was full of sarcasm.

"I don't have a problem with that, I would just like to know who you are and where you're taking him. I've kept an eye on Ianto for the last three years and I'm the one that saved him. I just want to know that he's going to be alright." he said honestly.

At that, the man seemed to relent slightly. "So you're the man in the big blue coat Ianto was telling me about are you? Well then, I say we continue this conversation later."

"Alright then. There's a pub over in the city center. How about we meet there at say, eight thirty? I can give you the directions."

"Alright then, eight thirty it is." the commander agreed, shaking Jack's hand.

Jack had watched as Quentin sat with Ianto and the young woman eating lunch, and was happy to see Ianto smiling a little bit.

That night he had spent three hours getting to know the man who had volunteered to take the boy to a new home, one for damaged children, and Ianto was to be the first adoptee. The first child to receive all of the love and care and help that he needed to be put back together.

.

After that, all thoughts of young Ianto Jones, practically left Jack's mind as he tried to build himself a new team. He practically forgot all about the child that kept him company on that bench for three years.

Then he ran into twenty three year old Ianto Jones, in the archives of Torchwood tower, apparently forgetting that he had ever known Jack in the first place.

"So… you've known me all along?" Ianto muttered, obviously befuddled.

"Yup."

"Then why did you make me practically beg for a job?" Ianto was so quiet Jack barely heard the question.

"I honestly wanted to deter you from staying with Torchwood Ianto." Jack admitted, gently running a hand through Ianto's hair. "I knew you were such a brilliant young man with so much to offer the world. I wanted you to have a normal life. Maybe find a job as an archivist in the national archives or something because I remembered you telling me how much you loved them. Get married to someone who loves you, have a family, be an average person, but then I realized I missed just having someone to talk to about anything and everything, just like when I talked to you as a kid. But I never expected to fall in love with you myself Ianto Jones."

Ianto let out a soft sigh, and shook his head with a tiny smile. "Jack, think about the things you wanted for me." he said softly. "A job as an archivist, marriage, someone who loves me, and a family. I have everything but marriage on that list. I'm the archivist for Torchwood three, I have you and you love me, and I have a family, we have Stella. Everything but marriage, which, honestly, I could skip marriage as long as I can stay happy."

Jack couldn't help but smile at Ianto's revelation. "Oh how I love you Ianto." he said, gently kissing the tip of his lover's nose. "So…. What brought up the time we met?"

"Dad told me, and then I looked at the picture on my progress wall, the one of mum and I on the bench by the bay. You were standing about ten feet behind us, watching."

Jack actually found himself chuckling a little. "I wouldn't be surprised. I was just happy to see that your mom and dad made you smile, even if it was only a little bit."

Ianto just snuggled up against Jack's chest and let out a content sigh. "I'm just glad I have you, and my family." he said, his voice somewhat muffled since his face was buried against Jack's chest.

"I think it's safe to say that we both feel that way Ianto." Jack told him as he wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist. "Now go back to sleep Ianto. You're still injured and you need your rest."

"Way ahead of you." Ianto yawned. "I'm just glad we cleared that up. Now maybe I can try and remember it all."

"I hope you do." Jack whispered as Ianto quietly fell asleep. "Goodnight Ianto." And with that, he drifted off to sleep as well.

.

.

.

A/N: Like I said, really short, and I'm sorry it took forever! But if you guys review and you all still enjoy it, let me know and I'll try to start updating as fast as I can again! Thanks everyone for sticking with me!


	58. I'm back with randomness!

A/N: I'm back! Have you guys missed me? Sorry it's been soooo very long, but between working like crazy and having writers block, it's been tough. But I've felt terrible for leaving you guys! So I'm trying to get back into the story. This is just a quickie little filler chapter, but hopefully I'll get back into it ASAP! Thanks for staying faithful to me everyone! Oh and FYI, my keyboard is being obnoxious so if there's any typos i apologize but it's my keyboard's fault! Anyway, get to reading!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Torchwood.

.

.

.

The next morning when Ianto awoke, he found himself wrapped up in Jack's arms. He thought back to the revelation the night before.

Jack had watched over him, when he was a child. It was somewhat awkward to think that his lover would sit with him back when he was only eleven years old, but at the same time it was comforting. It meant that Jack had always cared about him, and really did care about his overall well-being.

After a moment, Ianto quietly untangled himself from Jack and made his way to the bathroom where he found a small bottle of blue liquid making him smile.

On the bottle was a little note in a child's scrawl that read, 'Morning dose of medicine. You're gonna need it.'

Ianto chuckled, Niles may have only been eleven, but he was very smart and very considerate, always looking out for his siblings, younger and older. It was just like him to make sure that Ianto had a morning dose of pain medication, especially since Ianto could feel the dull throbbing aches, and the occasional sharp twinge of pain from his shoulder and his side.

After taking the medication and going through a little bit of his morning ritual of brushing his teeth and combing his hair, Ianto walked back out into the bedroom in time to see Jack stir awake as the sound of the breakfast whistle drifted down the hall.

"Good morning Cariad." Ianto said softly with a smile.

Jack stretched and smiled at him. "Morning Ianto. How are you feeling?"

"Well since I just took another dose of Nile's medication, I can practically forget that I was ever injured." he said honestly. "It works that well."

"Well that's certainly a good thing." Jack yawned as he stretched again. He then paused and gave Ianto a curious look. "So…. Are you upset about the fact I've watched over you for so long?"

"No. Not really." he said honestly, as he sat down beside Jack and gently ran a hand through Jack's hair. "It lets me know just how much you've cared for me though."

"Ianto, if you didn't know how much I care about you…." Jack paused, looking away.

"That's not what I meant Jack. I've always known that you cared about me. It just shows me how long you've cared about me. Of course there's obviously a big difference in how you cared about me then and how you care for me now. But it still reminds me anyway. Make sense?"

"Yeah. I get it." Jack said with a nod.

Ianto smiled and gently kissed Jack's lips. "Good. I guess I'm just saying it's a bit of a shock because I can't figure out why I've forgotten."

"Well, we'll figure that out a little at a time. I'd love to help you remember." Jack said, gently rubbing Ianto's arm.

"I don't know which way I should take that at the moment." Ianto chuckled, somewhat unsure about the tone in Jack's voice.

"I didn't mean it in a dirty way, that's for sure." Jack said, obviously knowing where he was going with that.

Ianto chuckled and shook his head. "Some days I just never quite get you." Ianto muttered, shaking his head with a smile. Then he stood up and began to dress. "Come on then, I'm hungry and its time for breakfast."

"But Ianto I'm comfortable." Jack whined petulantly.

But Ianto could hear the smile in the tone of his voice. "I know you may be comfortable, but I know you're hungry too."

Jack just smiled and, with a huff, he got out of bed and got dressed. "Okay, I guess it means I should get up." he sighed.

Ianto walked over as Jack attempted to pull on his trousers and pulled him into a kiss.

"Whoa! What was that for?" Jack asked with a smile.

"For just no reason what so ever." Ianto said with a chuckle. "Because I love you."

Jack pulled Ianto close, ignoring the fact that his trousers were about to slip off since he forgot to button them. "I love you too Ianto." he said, gently nuzzling Ianto's neck.

Ianto chuckled softly. "Well then, if you really love me, you'll finish getting dressed so we can go downstairs for breakfast. I'm hungry." he protested.

Jack shook his head and let go. "You're the one that kissed me!" he muttered.

Ianto just laughed as Jack finished dressing, then he led the way down the hall making sure the rest of the team was up and heading downstairs as well. But by the time they got downstairs the younger children were running out the door to the school bus, and the rest left with Sarah to be dropped off at their schools.

"Cookie decided to go to public school this year I take it?" Jack asked, obviously seeing that the strange young man was nowhere to be found.

"Cookie decided to finish his senior year in public school." Quentin confirmed, once again reading his paper as Niles and Jeremy stood up. "I want your math homework on my desk by noon boys. Page 32, problems one through forty five, odd numbers."

"Yes sir." both boys said, then they left the table.

"Obedient children." Rhys noted.

"You learn to be a well behaved child in this house." said Ianto.

"How do you manage?" Andy asked the older man.

"I run an aircraft carrier. Thirty children is nothing compared to that." Quentin shrugged. "Though James caused his share of trouble as a kid."

"He was the most troublesome of the first bunch." Ray Ray said, walking into the room and ruffling James's hair.

"Not funny!" James protested as Tosh giggled.

"Oh come now James, it is funny," Ianto said with a smile.

"Trust me, we've got plenty of secrets on James." Ray Ray whispered to Tosh.

"Only cause your nosy!" James argued.

"Of course I'm nosy! I'm your younger sister! What more do you want from me?" Ray Ray giggled as she sat down beside Owen.

"I'd like for you to mind your P's and Q's, that's what."

"Enough you two. You're not in high school anymore." Quentin sighed.

"Oh but daddy! It's so fun antagonizing James!"

"Ray Ray has a point dad." Ianto agreed with a smile, remembering back to the days that he and Ray Ray would tag team to annoy James.

"I don't care. It may be fun, but it's not nice." Quentin said, hiding behind his paper.

Ianto smiled and took the moment to break off a piece of his roll and flick it at James, hitting him in the nose.

"Ay! Not cool you little dork!" James protested, picking up a grape and throwing it back.

But Ianto caught it and threw it at Gareth instead, who caught it in his mouth before retaliating with another grape, tossing it at James and getting him in the forehead.

"You know, being a SEAL, I would assume that you would have enough reflexes to dodge a flying grape James." Quentin chuckled, looking at them.

"Dad's right, you suck at dodging!" Ray Ray laughed, causing James to toss a small chunk of cantaloupe at her. But she ducked just in time to have it hit Owen in the head.

"Oi! I'm not getting involved in a food fight with overgrown children, leave me out of it." Owen protested.

"Aww, you're no fun Owen." Ray Ray said with a smile, ruffling his hair.

"Why do I get the feeling the younger children are better behaved at the breakfast table?" Andy inquired.

"It's because they are." Ianto admitted.

"We just like to cause trouble." said Gareth with a grin.

"I'm still having trouble getting used to there being two of you." Russell said honestly.

"You get used to them. Sort of." Tucker said, bumbling down the stairs, his hair poking out in odd directions.

"No school Tucker?" Owen asked.

"I'm I the process of transferring to a new school." Tucker said with a shrug. "Last week I received a tuna sandwich to the back of the head."

"We're transferring him to Manchester academy over in Cardiff." Quentin said.

Ianto smiled. "So you'll be closer to us will you?"

"You'll never get rid of me. I'm your favorite little bother and you know it." Tucker chuckled.

"So you are. Unfortunately." Ianto added with a sigh, unable to hide his smile.

"Kale goes to Manchester." Stella pointed out. "It's that big all boys private school on the outskirts of town isn't it?"

"Yup." Tucker said with a smile. "I've met a bunch of the other students. Most of them are just as weird… minus being half alien anyway. You should see the kids from Berwick hall."

"They're as pale as vampires." Quentin muttered.

"the question is, are they vampires?" Ianto tossed in with a smile.

"No, their just a bunch of studying busy bodies that refuse to go outside." Tucker added.

"I knew a kid like that in high school." Gareth said. "Creepy kid too."

"What I find creepy is the two of you." Owen sighed.

"It's not that creepy until we begin talking together." Ianto and Gareth said in perfect unison with matching voices, and identical grins.

"I think I agree with the twins, that's odd." Gwen said.

"No, what's really odd, is when all of them start talking together." Jack pointed out.

Ianto smiled remembering the moment at Alistair's wedding when all four pairs of identical twins spoke in unison. It was something they all thoroughly enjoyed doing to frighten people. It was a gift that they had all discovered they had. Communication with every twin in the family.

"That is creepy." Quentin admitted. "Four pairs of twins talking together and finishing each other' sentences get's rather freaky."

"And it just get's better when the quints get involved." Ianto added.

"No, no it doesn't." Quentin sighed. "That just makes it worse."

"Aww, where's your sense of humor dad?" Ianto chuckled.

"Don't give me that Sport, or I'll tell everyone about your first trip to D.C." Quentin threatened.

"Or I could tell them myself. That was quite a trip indeed." Ianto said with a smile, remembering his reaction to the pain medication his grandmother had given him after his surgery.

"Or better yet, we can show them the tapes." James added. "Those were well worth a laugh."

"Until the one where Ianto fell on the ground trying to stare at the top of the Washington monument." Ray Ray said.

"I thought it was funny." Ianto said with a chuckle. "I don't even remember falling."

"You didn't even know you split your head open." Quentin sighed, shaking his head. "And there was the time you fell on top of poor little Tucker."

"Yeah, that one hurt. I refused to sit on your lap until you were off of your medication." Tucker added.

"Do what now?" Owen asked.

"My grandmother had me on this really strong pain medication and I was pretty much acting like a five year old for a few days."

"We really realized something was wrong when he fell of a bench."

Ianto smiled. "That was funny. I remember looking at dad and going 'whoa! How'd I get on the floor?' and dad just shook his head and went, 'I dunno, you tell me Sport, how did you get on the floor?' Sad thing was I really did have no idea." he admitted. "But I'm not ashamed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed acting like a five year old, clinging on to my mother's hand. I had too much fun to be embarrassed."

"I have difficulty picturing you acting like a five year old Tad." Stella said.

"Most people do." Ianto chuckled. "But I think the fact that I split the back of my head open and couldn't tell was the final straw and Grandma Kallie had to take me off of the medication."

"How could you split open the back of your head and not know?" Rhys asked.

"I was completely drugged up on pain meds, what more do you want from me?" Ianto shrugged. "But it wasn't too bad besides the three stitches to the back of the head."

"I've got you beat. I took six stitches to the forehead when I sat up in my bunk to fast on my first deployment. Commander Caraway tried to ground me for the night." Gareth said making Alonso chuckle.

"Oh, so you got one of our other grandmothers." Ianto pointed out since Celia Caraway was Leon Ashtor's wife.

"I was wondering why she called me Ianto and asked what I was doing on the ship." Gareth muttered thoughtfully.

"I remember you meeting me at lunch and saying, 'for some bizarre reason Commander Caraway knew my middle name and asked why I had an American accent. Or maybe it was my imagination because I have a splitting headache.' So I went to Commander Berkenbridge and told him that it was best if Gareth was grounded."

"Oh, I should've known you were involved with that." Gareth grumbled accusingly, making Ianto smile and Alonso giggle slightly.

The colorful conversations continued for nearly twenty minutes as everyone finished off their breakfast. Then Ianto decided that it would be a perfect day to take Tosh dress shopping since the wedding was only three weeks away.

.

.

.

A/N: yay! random filler chapter! I hope you guys don't mind! I'll try and get a new chapter up in a few days! Leave a review so I know everyone's still there! And once again, sorry for the ridiculously long delay! You're all amazing for sticking with me! Thanks!


	59. We're finally at the stolen earth! Yay!

A/N: alright guys. Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up after I promised to update faster. The day after I posted my last chapter my hard drive fried and then I replaced it and my keyboard went on the fritz. But I'm back! Sort of... sorry if this chapter isn't exactly up to par, the beginning's not the best, I tried, honest, and if there's typos I tried to catch them all but like I said, my keyboard hasn't been cooperating. But hey! It's here and we're at stolen earth, finally!

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Torchwood, if I did, it'd take forever because I'd have writer's block after every couple of episodes...

.

Ianto had to admit, dress shopping that day with Tosh had been an adventure in itself with Sarah and Tucker joining them.

Ianto was there as the voice of fashion logic, Sarah was the motherly figure that made sure Tosh felt extremely special, and Tucker decided he was there just to help make Tosh laugh and smile with his random comments

In the end Tosh had been indecisive between a slim fitting dress and a full all out princess ball gown with sparkles galore.

Ianto convinced her to get the ball gown reminding Tosh that it was her turn to have a fairy tale wedding.

After a full day of hanging around California the entire group headed back to Cardiff ready to clean up whatever mess was left behind by Hart and Grey.

The three weeks went past in a blur and before they all knew it, the day for Tosh and James's wedding arrived bringing in not only the entire Midnightstar clan, but the Sato clan from Japan as well. Needless to say though, the Satos were well outnumbered and very unsure about the family that Tosh was about to marry into.

The ceremony itself was beautiful in one of the banquet halls of Cardiff Castle and it went off without a hitch despite the couple's frazzled nerves from earlier in the morning. The only surprise that Tosh received was when James's sniping partner and best friend Alexander got Tosh in the behind with the flat of his saber after they walked through the arch.

The good news was that Tosh's wedding didn't end up an alien fiasco like Gwen's did…. Unless you counted the fact that Tucker the half time lord child was there along with all of his new friends from Manchester academy who just happened to be a very impressive and out of the ordinary acapella choir that Tosh and James invited to sing at the reception.

Ianto had noticed that Owen and Ray Ray had suddenly began flirting with each other during the reception and he suddenly wondered if Owen was somehow going to join his family making him shake his head not wanting to think about Owen as a brother in law.

The rest of the night everyone found themselves just enjoying the festivities before sending Tosh and James off to their honeymoon, the team glad that they didn't need retcon or anything of the sort, leaving the clean up to the event staff.

Over the next couple of months things fell into routine. Tosh had eventually moved to the states with James, but she always kept in contact, as for Owen, well he was suddenly changing personalities, drinking less and never going out on the pull, he was dating Ray Ray who had left her job at the pentagon to join them at Torchwood to help with the tech aspect since Tosh had left.

Stella and Russell still had their usual place helping to run the tourist office and make sure everyone was fed and taken care of. Tucker on the other had came around to help with identifying certain alien species and to talk with Jack whenever he needed some advice and Jack found himself thinking of the doctor's strange son as a little brother as well.

Gwen was more then happy going home to Rhys now and that made Jack feel immense relief. Andy was always around to help by being a police liaison for the group and becoming good friends with everyone.

As for Jack, life with Ianto was just fine. With everyone's help Jack and Ianto could occasionally go on a short holiday, and he was happy having a home outside of the hub to go to almost every night.

Yup, life had finally settled into a bout of normalcy.

Then the earth was stolen.

.

Jack had been in his office when it had happened, he was just about to walk into the main area of the hub when he felt everything shake and he found things toppling on him, knocking him to the floor. As he climbed out from under the shelves he quickly ran into the hub worried about the rest of the team.

"Whoa! What happened? The rift?" He muttered, feeling disoriented. "Ianto? Gwen? Are you guys alright?" he asked, seeing the two of them on the floor.

"Everything's okay, no broken bones. Slight loss of dignity, no change there then." Ianto sighed, a hand on the back of his head looking thoroughly ruffled.

"Owen? Ray Ray?" Jack called heading towards the med bay to find Owen on the floor by his desk and Ray Ray sitting on the stairs looking thoughtful.

"What the fuck was that?" Owen griped, climbing back into his chair.

"You're eloquence with words is astounding during a crisis, honey." Ray Ray sighed.

"Don't give me that love, the whole place just shook like mad, I can hear the pterodactyl throwin' a fit upstairs."

Sure enough Myfanwy's squawks could be heard resonating through the hub, she was obviously very displeased about the whole thing.

"Are you two okay?" Jack asked.

"A bit roughed up but all in all okay." Ray Ray sighed.

"Same here." Owen agreed with a nod.

"Good, I'll be back in a minute I'm going to go check the kids and see what's happened outside." Jack said hoping that Stella and Russell were okay up in the tourist office. He quickly ran upstairs to find Stella and Russell trying to straighten everything up. "Are you two okay?" he asked.

"We're fine, poor Tucker on the other hand got quite a bump when he hit his head on the counter." Stella said.

"Tucker's here?" It was then that he heard a soft groan from the floor and when he looked down he saw Tucker on the floor nursing a bleeding bump to the head.

He had obviously arrived from school still dressed in his uniform.

"Are you okay Tucker?" Jack asked, kneeling down to look at the bump.

"Whatever just happened I swear I didn't do it." Tucker said making Jack chuckle. "Or did I? No, I didn't do it, honest."

"Go downstairs and have Owen look at your head alien child." Jack sighed, shaking his head with a smile.

"Yes sir." Tucker sighed, then with Jack's help he got up and headed downstairs.

"Good job straightening up the office guys, keep it up, I'll be right back." he told Stella and Russell. Then he quickly ran outside just to find that instead of the sunny spring sky in Cardiff, he was seeing a dark sky full of planets. "That's impossible." he whispered to himself.

"Dad? What's going on?" Stella asked, joining him and starring up at the sky.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's not good. Quickly, let's get back inside." Jack said ushering Stella back into the tourist office. "Come on Russell, downstairs."

"Yes sir." Russell said, putting away some pamphlets.

The three of them quickly made their way downstairs.

"Jack, let me guess, something is horribly wrong." Ianto said "And it's all Tucker's fault, right?"

"Hey! Not my fault!" Tucker shouted from the med bay. "Ouch!"

"Well hold still! I want to make sure you don't have a concussion." Owen sighed, trying to check Tucker's eyes.

"You're a grumpy doctor." Tucker grumbled.

"Hey, he could be like Auntie Tuyen and give you a concussion with her clipboard for not listening." Ianto told him as Jack attempted to find out what was happening.

For once Jack felt at a loss for what was happening. How anyone could steal planets was beyond him. "Someone's established an artificial atmospheric shell keeping the air and holding the heat." he announced.

"Well whoever did this wants the human race alive, that's a plus. It looks like there are twenty seven planets including the earth." said Ianto standing beside him.

"But what's that in the middle Tad?" Stella asked, pointing to a red dot on the screen. "That's not a planet."

"Well this sounds like it's turning into an exciting day." Owen snarked walking out of the med bay with Tucker and Ray Ray. "So you're telling us the whole planet has been moved?"

"Looks that way." said Tucker leaning over Ianto with his long lanky frame to get a good look at the screen. "Oh look, it's the adipose breeding planet, I wonder what it's doing here?" he muttered pointing to a planet on the screen. "And this planet disappeared like….. Two thousand years ago. Hey look, the lost moon of Poosh."

"Either way, whatever that ship is, it's about three thousand miles out and getting closer." said Gwen. "Jack, what is it?"

Jack opened his mouth about to answer when his phone rang and Martha Jones name appeared on caller ID. "Martha Jones, voice of a nightingale, tell me this was something in my drink."

"No such luck, have you heard from the doctor?" she asked.

"Not a word, just random comments from his bizarre son here. Where are you?" he asked.

"New York."

"Nice for some." he shrugged.

"I've been promoted to medical director of project indigo."

Jack was slightly impressed. "Did you get that thing working yet?"

"Indigo is top secret, no one's supposed to know." Martha said, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"I met a soldier in a bar, long story." he admitted.

"When was that?" Ianto asked and Jack wanted to chuckle at the slightly jealous look on his face.

"Strictly professional." he said with a tiny smile making Stella giggle.

"Whatever these things are they're at fifteen hundred miles and closing, I just wish we knew what they were." said Ray Ray from the opposite computer station.

Jack was about to say something when a very familiar and terrifying word came over the speakers.

"Exterminate, exterminate, exterminate."

Jack found his entire body shaking in terror. "No, oh no."

"Who are they Jack?" Owen asked.

"Do you know them?" Gwen asked.

Jack quickly pulled Ianto and Stella to him in a hug,

"I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do, but…. We're dead."

"Easy for you to say." Owen scoffed. "Fantastic, the world is going to end today."

They were suddenly interrupted by a burst of slightly insane laughter, like a high pitched version of Alan's.

Everyone whirled around to see Tucker on the couch laughing till he rolled over off of the couch and onto the floor.

"Tucker, stop scaring everyone!" Ray Ray chided.

"You of all people should be afraid the daleks Tucker!" Jack snapped slightly.

Tucker pulled himself up to look over the table, gasping for air. "I didn't say that I wasn't slightly frightened of them. But that's not the point. Think of it this way, if the world was going to end today, wouldn't you be a paradox Jack? I mean, if the daleks destroyed the earth right this moment, humans would never have branched out into space let alone survive till the fifty first century, therefore you would never have been born. Therefore you would be something similar to a paradox." Tucker pointed out as if it was just scientific fact and not a threat to the earth. "From what I can see you're still a fixed point in time, nothing more, nothing less…. From a time lord's scientific standpoint anyway. Ianto can I have some chalk? I want to doodle."

"No." Ianto sighed rolling his eyes.

Jack was about to say something, realizing that Tucker had a bit of a point. So he just closed his mouth and shook his head.

"And as always I'm right." Tucker said proudly.

"You're getting as smug as your father, watch it." Jack pointed at him with a tiny smile.

"What are they doing to him in that school?" Stella whispered.

"Good question." Ianto whispered back.

"So now what? The world is under attack by…. Whatever these things are…" Owen grumbled.

"Rejected trash cans with a plunger and a whisk, as Kit describes them." Ianto interjected.

"Fantastic we're being attacked by trash cans." Owen sighed. "Anyway, what do we do?"

"I unfortunately have no clue." Jack sighed.

After that everything just seemed to go crazy.

The Valiant was down, the UNIT headquarters were being were being destroyed, Martha used an untested transport and went missing. Daleks were kidnapping humans, the United nations surrendered. Everything had gone downhill from there.

Gwen sat on the couch, Ianto found himself slumped in a chair with Stella and Russell sitting on the floor beside him, leaning their heads on his lap. Owen and Ray Ray were sitting together on the stairs in the med bay and Jack was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall next to the entrance of the med bay.

"Tucker, what are you doing?" Jack sighed as Tucker typed away furiously on the computer.

"Give me a piece of chalk and I'll show you." Tucker said stubbornly.

"You and you're chalk, you need to start carrying it around with you." Ianto muttered.

"Look in the top right hand drawer of my desk, there's a little silver tin with some chalk in it." Jack muttered, figuring he might as well indulge the boy before their lives ended.

Tucker quickly got up and ran into Jack office.

Just then they heard a voice trying to get through on the sub wave network.

"Someone's trying to get in touch." Gwen said, walking over to the computer.

"The whole world's crying out, just leave it." Jack sighed brokenly. The whole thing was pointless to him. But then he heard it.

"Captain Jack Harkness, shame on you! Now stand to attention sir!"

Jack quickly jumped up and ran to the computer recognizing the voice. "Who is that?"

After a moment the fuzz on the screen began to clear and they saw Harriet Jones, former prime minister.

Soon they were all having a video chat with Sarah Jane Smith, and Jack was so happy to see Martha was alive and well.

All together they devised a plan to try and contact the doctor by using the rift to strengthen the signal and call the doctor. Of course his also caused a lot of damage to their computers and the daleks also found Harriet Jones.

But in Harriet Jones's place the doctor appeared.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jack snapped. "Doctor it's the daleks!"

The Doctor just smiled as he looked at everyone.

"Doctor! Tell Tucker to stop writing all over my clean floor!" Ianto snapped suddenly.

Jack looked down just to find that the entire floor was covered by equations and that Tucker apparently just wrote around him.

"What on earth…?"

"I did it! Dad, we're one second out of sync with the rest of the universe aren't we?" Tucker asked excitedly as he popped up to look at the screen.

"Very good Tucker! You are brilliant! Wait a minute… what are you doing at Torchwood?"

Tucker just grinned then went back to scribbling on the floor.

"I hope you know that if you're right and the world doesn't end, you get to scrub the floors." Ianto said. "And you're washing the chalk dust off of your own uniform."

"Well hello Mr. Jones!" said the Doctor smiling.

"Hello sir." Ianto replied politely with a nod as he attempted to step around the boy on the floor.

After the doctor was interrupted by someone who was obviously an old enemy, Jack decided that he needed to go find the doctor to help him.

With some help from Martha, Jack had his vortex manipulator up and working again and he was now ready to go find the time lord.

But Jack saw the apprehension on his team's face. "I'm coming back." he promised. "Really, I swear I'm coming back."

"Just go dad." said Stella kissing his cheek.

"We'll be fine." said Ianto.

"You guys better be because I'll be back as soon as all of this is over." he said honestly. Then he disappeared.

.

"Um guys, hate to say it, but I think the trash cans have found us." said Owen. "They're heading for the bay.

"The trash cans have found us? That sounds weird." sighed Ray Ray.

"Owen's right though." said Gwen.

"Actually, I think they're already here." said Tucker suddenly.

That was when the whole hub shook again and they heard the word 'exterminate' being repeated over and over.

Ianto quickly grabbed Stella and Russell, determined to get the children to safety first. "I want the two of you and Tucker to go hide in the archives." he said quickly. "Don't come out unless we come and tell you it's safe, yeah?"

The two of them nodded and Ianto gave them each a hug before giving Stella a kiss on the cheek. "Go on then." he told them. And he watched as Stella grabbed Tucker and dragged him down stairs.

Just then Owen and Ray Ray both came out with several different guns.

"Um…. Those don't work against daleks. I should know." Ianto said trying to keep memories of Canary wharf from invading his mind.

"Yeah, well, we're Torchwood and that means we don't go down without a fight. You comin' from a military family I would've expected it from you." Owen said handing out the weapons.

"Point taken." Ianto agreed taking the gun and loading it.

"Just one dalek can't be that bad right?" Gwen asked.

"Gwen….. three daleks was all it took to start Canary wharf, Jack took the only weapon that could actually destroy them." Ianto pointed out.

"Well isn't that nice."

Ianto jumped and was surprised to see Tucker beside him loading a hand gun.

"we probably shouldn't let the kid handle a gun." said Gwen.

"Preferably I'd rather have you downstairs but at least I know you can shoot." Ianto sighed. "If we live through this, don't you dare tell dad I let you handle a gun without him or Joe around."

"Yes sir." said Tucker with a mock salute.

At that moment they heard a loud explosion from up in the lift, as the dalek burned through the cog door.

"Everyone ready?" Ianto asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Owen said.

"Then ready…aim….." as soon as the door rolled back, "fire!"

All four of them opened fire on the dalek shooting as many rounds as possible. But then they noticed something odd. The dalek wasn't moving and their bullets were hanging in the air.

"What the hell?" Gwen muttered touching one of the bullets which caused a strange rippling affect in the air.

"It's a time lock." said Tucker in awe. "Where did you guys get a time lock?"

Ianto ran over to the computer and began trying to find the security protocols. "Tosh was working on it before she left. I didn't know she actually finished it though. Basically we're sealed in a time bubble."

"Meaning the dalek can't get in right?" Gwen asked.

"But that means we can't get out, doesn't it?" Owen inquired.

"Not without unlocking that dalek." Ianto confirmed.

"Wow! Tosh sure was brilliant!" said Tucker looking at the equations. "I've never seen a scientifically made time bubble."

"What's he mean scientifically made?" Gwen asked.

"Uncle Conner created time bubbles with magic, that's what protects the family sanctuaries during crisis." Ianto explained. "I'm sure once all of this started the shields went up."

"Uncle Conner started using one during the cold war." Ray Ray explained. "Kinda silly really looking back on it, but then he decided it just made for a great way to protect everything. So he made one for our home too."

"Either way Tosh was amazing in creating this bubble." said Ianto.

"So all we can do is sit and wait and hope it ends." said Tucker, plopping down into a chair.

"Anyone fancy some coffee?" Ianto asked.

"Sure, why not?" Owen shrugged. "If we die here, at least I'll die happy with my girlfriend and a great cup of coffee."

Ray Ray lightly smacked him on the head. "We're not going to die, don't think so negatively."

"Yes dear." he sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

Ianto couldn't help but shake his head with a tiny smile then he went to the kitchen to make some coffee happy to find that the coffee maker was still in tact.

It wasn't long before the whole group including Stella and Russell who had been hiding in the archives were sitting around in the main area of the hub, sipping coffee and keeping a weary watch on the dalek.

"I don't like just sitting around and waiting." Owen grumbled.

"I'm getting bored." Tucker sighed.

"Then clean up the equations you scribbled all over the hub floor." Ianto said.

"Especially because I just cleaned the floor yesterday." said Stella handing him a mop and a bucket.

Tucker let out a heavy sigh then he began cleaning the floor.

The hub was quiet for what seemed like hours as everyone sat around just waiting, watching the frozen dalek.

Ianto found himself sitting on the walkway around the tower, sharing a chocolate bar with the pterodactyl who was resting on the railing waiting and hoping that the world would be okay and that Jack would be home soon.

Then they heard it, the Doctor's voice, calling Torchwood.

Everyone jumped up and Ianto ran over to the computer.

"We're here sir." said Ianto. He jumped when he felt something nudge him.

"Is…. Is that a pterodactyl Mr. Jones?" the doctor asked with a raised brow.

"Myfanwy, go on, back to you're nest." he said trying to shoo her away.

"Go on you over grown reptile!" Owen said, trying to nudge her.

But Myfanwy just squawked in his face and tried to snap at him.

"Here Myfanwy, I've got another chocolate bar for you!" said Russell over to the side.

So Myfanwy hopped away leaving Ianto alone.

"Now then, I'm guessing Jack is there sir?" he inquired.

"Of course he is, I can't get rid of him. Are the two of you ever going to marry?"

Ianto turned bright red and he heard Jack in the background. "I'm sure you didn't contact them just to figure out where our relationship stands right Doctor?"

"No, no, of course not, right then, I need you lot to turn the rift into a bit of a tow rope."

So the team did as they were told and with help from Sarah Jane Smith's computer the earth was on it's way back home.

.

"I told you, no more transport!" the doctor chided as he disabled Jack's vortex manipulator again.

Jack just sighed heavily. But then he got an idea. "You know, when all this is over Doctor, you need to come visit. Tucker is there right now."

"Yeah, about that, why is my son at your base?"

"He goes to school near by and likes to come around to bug us with his weird time lordy habits." Jack said with a smile making the Doctor laugh.

"I think I just may come to visit then."

"Fantastic." Jack said with a smile.

So after saying goodbye Jack lead Martha away from the Tardis.

"You know, maybe you should think about leaving unit and joining us Martha." Jack suggested.

"Maybe I will." Martha agreed,

Just then they heard a voice, "hey you two!"

"Oh no, I thought I got rid of you." Jack sighed as Mickey ran up behind him.

"I decided to stay in this world now."

"Great, and I suppose you'll need a job." he said, rolling his eyes.

"I did work for Torchwood in the other universe." Mickey pointed out.

"Alright, I guess we'll give you a chance. Though I might have to talk to my second in command about this matter. Come on then you guys, let's get out of here." Jack said, letting out a tired sigh. He was just glad that everything was over and he was definitely ready to get home.

So the three of them made their way back to the hub together.

"You hide in a tourist office?" Mickey asked unimpressed.

"It's not just a tourist office Mickey mouse." Jack grumbled, surprised to find the entire office already straightened up. "The kids sure clean up fast." he said somewhat surprised.

"Kids?"

"Stella and Russell, they run the tourist office." Martha explained. "How are the two by the way?"

"We did have to go through the awkward sex talk with Stella recently. Or rather I did because we didn't really want to tell Ianto." he admitted with a tiny chuckle.

Martha just giggled a little. "He still doesn't know, does he?"

"I'm sure he suspects considering he's an empath." Jack then led the two down to the main area of the hub where he was astonished to find that the entire hub was clean and the group was playing basketball, the girls against the boys. "You guys already cleaned up the place? I'm impressed." Jack said, announcing his arrival.

"Dad!" Stella cried, rushing forward and hugging him tightly.

"So the great Captain Harkness is back, and he brought company. Hello Martha." said Owen

smiling.

"Hello Owen, you're definitely looking better considering how long you've been dead." said Martha with a chuckle.

"Actually I've been amongst the true living for the last couple of months. It's a long story." Owen shrugged. "But I did get a girlfriend!"

Ray Ray just giggled and kissed Owen's cheek.

"Yeah, he started dating my sister." Ianto murmured rolling his eyes. "Anyway, hello Martha, and I'm glad to see you came home as promised Cariad."

"I told you I'd come home." Jack said, wrapping his arm around Ianto's shoulder and pulling him into a tight hug. "I've got no reason to leave."

"Good. So then, who's this?" he asked, indicating Mickey.

"This is Mickey Smith. An old friend who was working for Torchwood in another universe. Mickey, this is Ianto Jones, my second in command and my partner in everything." Jack introduced.

"Pleasure." Mickey said smiling as he shook Ianto's hand.

"Mickey was wondering if he could join us?"

"If you trust him, so do I." Ianto said honestly. "As for how we'll explain where he came from I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Good, I think he'd do well with us. Sort of."

"Sort of?" Ianto inquired with a raised brow.

"You'll see." Jack said with a smile, deciding not to tell Ianto about the bantering that would ensue between him and Mickey.

Ianto just sighed and shook his head before saying, "I take it everyone would like some coffee?"

Suddenly everyone chimed in asking for coffee.

"Already in the board room Tad. You lot better hurry up before it get's cold!" Stella called from the stairway with a smile.

Jack just watched as everyone headed to the boardroom chatting happily now that the entire mess was over.

"Is your Torchwood always this casual?" Mickey asked as Ianto followed the group.

"Considering Ianto and Stella are the only ones that wear suits and the rest of us are noisy and rambunctious… yes." Jack said with a chuckle. "Unlike every other Torchwood, we're family here."

Mickey just smiled and nodded in understanding. "So Captain Cheesecake found a family huh?"

"Yes, and for the record, I'm not as cheesy as I used to be." He said pointedly. "I've finally settled a bit after about a hundred and forty years on this planet."

"How long have you been here? At Torchwood three?" Mickey asked in curiosity.

"Too long,"

"So… you were down here when we…?"

"Yup. I still have the CCTV footage from that visit too." Jack admitted with a smile. "I had to put the hub on lock down so no one could escape. Including me." he added thoughtfully, remembering back to when he had seen the doctor with Rose and the younger version of himself. He had wanted to bolt right up to the plass, but he knew that was out of the question, so he locked down the hub trapping him, Tosh, Owen and Suzie in the hub for the day.

"Oi! Are you two coming or not? I was about to take dinner orders!" Russell called, breaking into his thoughts.

Jack laughed. "We'll be right there Russell!" he called up, then he turned to Mickey. "Come on Mickey mouse, let's introduce you to your new family." he said, then he dragged Mickey into the boardroom for the fiasco he liked to call 'Torchwood family dinner' and he was more then glad to admit that he was home, and ready for things to go back to normal….. Even if only for a little while.

A/N: alright! the stolen earth is done so I'm sure we all know what's coming next... CoE! I've had the ending in my head since I started this in December and I finally made it! I was also wondering if you guys would enjoy a little prequel explaining how Ianto got stuck in such a crazy family. Let me know in the reviews! Thanks for sticking with me! You guys are amazing! Every one of you!


	60. CoE: day one with some twists

A/N: Well we're finally here! CoE has begun and I'm about to turn it completely upside down. Not like I didn't do that to the rest of the story mind you. But anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it. And I'm still wondering if you guys would like a prequel to this because I know several of you are still wondering how Ianto got into this family so let me know when you review. But for now, get to reading!

Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood CoE would have been more like this, but it's not cause I don't own it.

.

.

.

It had been several months since the earth had been stolen and suddenly everything fell into a routine. There were the usual weevil hunts that Jack and Ianto always went on, both real and fake, the random items that fell through the rift, every now and then you'd get the occasional lost alien on their way to another galaxy that just needed some direction, but they knew that the peace wouldn't last.

Sure enough something strange began happening when all of the children in the Cardiff froze in place.

"Stella! Stella, you better hurry or you'll be late for school!" Ianto called from the kitchen as he finished packing her lunch, Jack had already left for the hub earlier that morning.

"Coming Tad!" Stella called from her bedroom. Within moments she had run out of her room and took her lunch as Ianto handed it too her, "Don't forget Russell and I are going over to his house after school today."

"Have a good day and behave, I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Yes sir," Stella said then she turned to walk out of the room as Ianto turned to make himself a cup of coffee to go. But after a moment he realized that he didn't hear the door and he turned to see Stella standing as still as a stone statue.

"Stella? Stella? Hello?" Ianto snapped his fingers in front of her and waved his hand just to have her be non responsive. "Stella! This isn't funny!" he said, suddenly worried that she may of caught some strange alien infection from their last visitor.

Suddenly Stella blinked before smiling. "I'm leaving now. Are you alright Tad?"

Ianto just tilted his head to the side, unsure of what to think. "Yes…" he said slowly.

"Okay then. Thanks for making my lunch. See ya tomorrow, love ya!" she said kissing his cheek, then she ran out the door, Ianto staring after her in curiosity.

.

Over on the outskirts of Cardiff at Manchester academy Kale found himself and the rest of the school choir chuckling at some odd story Tucker was telling them as they all got breakfast in the dining hall.

Ever since Tucker had joined the school Kale's life was nothing if not eventful. Tucker had become a part of the board for the school choir taking the place of their former countertenor. He was always there cheering Kale on during his rugby games, and his association with Torchwood by the bay made things interesting all the time.

Today was no exception.

The entire group had been seated, listening to Tucker's story when everything got weird.

"So anyway, here was Ianto staring up at the Washington movement for some bizarre reason when he fe….." suddenly, Tucker froze.

Everyone starred.

"Tucker? Hey Tucker?" Kale shook the boy's shoulder's just to get no response.

"What happened to him?" Duncan asked, snapping his fingers in Tucker's face.

"I'd say he was playing with us, but this doesn't seem like something Tucker would do." Wade shyly chimed in.

That was when Tucker suddenly snapped out of his trance continuing where he left off. "ell over and….. Hey guys…. Why are you staring at me?" he asked slowly.

The entire group just starred at him.

"Are you feeling okay Tucker?" Peter asked. "You just froze all of the sudden."

"What? I have no clue what you're talking about." Tucker said, obviously perplexed.

After that everyone just shook their heads and let him go back to telling the story about the first time he got to spend a day out with his favorite big brother Ianto.

.

Most of team's morning was pretty simple despite the hitchhiker that Jack and Ianto had gone to pick up. But then everything got a bit difficult. Everyone had seen Cardiff's entire population of children freeze in their tracks. Then at ten thirty it happened again as every child froze then began screaming before saying 'we are coming'.

The entire team was at a loss for what to do. It appeared that every child in the world stopped at the exact same moment, and started saying the same exact thing in English along with an elderly man at a mental hospital. So while Gwen went to go talk to the man Jack sat trying to figure out where to get a kid to test.

"Jack, Stella did the same thing this morning." Ianto said suddenly as he brought Jack his coffee.

Jack's head snapped up. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought she was playing around or something. Then Gwen started talking about it, and Owen and Martha. It was weird Jack." he said, sitting I the chair with a sigh. "She just stood there, then after about thirty seconds, she acted like nothing happened. It was bizarre."

"So the question is, what do we do? We have no clue about any of this, like the frequency, or the age range of the children affected." Jack let out a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Why don't you go get some fresh air Cariad? You look like you just need a bit of a walk."

"Care to join me?" Jack asked.

"I would, but I've got stuff I need to do down in the archives. Rain check?"

"Alright. So you owe me a walk." Jack said with a smile, getting a grin from Ianto.

"I'll keep that in mind sir." said Ianto, then he walked out of the office leaving Jack to his thoughts.

After a moment Jack grabbed his coat and headed up to the plass where he decided to just walk around trying to breathe in the salty air and clear his mind. But he was suddenly interrupted when he heard someone call his name.

"Mr. Harkness! Hey! Mr. Harkness!"

Jack turned to see Kale running up behind him still dressed in his dark grey slacks and maroon blazer.

"Oh hey Kale, where's Tucker?" he asked, somewhat surprised to see the couple not together.

"He's got choir practice. Class was out early today but Duncan's making them rehearse extra because they have a performance this weekend."

"Ah. So then, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to tell you and Mr. Jones about what happened this morning at breakfast. We all found it really odd."

"Really? Like…. Out of Tucker's normal oddity?" he asked, suddenly curious.

"Like…. Way out of it." Kale said, his Scottish accent becoming thick with worry.

"Well why don't we go get some coffee and have a chat about it?" Jack asked him.

Kale nodded so Jack led them over to a little café on the plass where they ordered drinks and talked about what happened earlier in the day.

"So what happened this morning?" Jack asked, stirring sugar into his coffee.

"Well it was weird because Tucker was fine all morning. But when he was in the middle of telling a story he just froze, in the middle of a word. I shook him a bit, Duncan snapped his fingers in his face and he did nothing, then he just picked up right in the middle of the word he left of on and acted like nothing happened. He seemed to have no idea that he was frozen for like…. Thirty seconds. And then around ten thirty Tucker froze again in class in the middle of writing an equation on the board and started screaming. The scream was so high it actually cracked a couple of windows! It scared the crap out of us. But he didn't seemed to realize. He just went right back to writing and couldn't figure out why the rest of us were hiding under our desks with our hands over our ears."

Something from the story caught Jack's interest. "And no other kid in the school did this?"

"Not one. All of us were in the dining hall for breakfast. It's mandatory to be in the dining hall by seven. Tucker was the only one who froze like that." Kale said. "And considering the rest of the classrooms in the hall were freaked out by Tucker's screams I'm pretty sure he was the only one."

"What's the age range in your school?"

Kale looked at him as if it was an odd question then shrugged. "Fifteen and up really. There were a couple of fourteen year olds at the beginning of the year but they've already turned fifteen. Our school is tenth through twelfth. Weird I know but… what does this have to do with Tucker?"

"You just gave me an age range on the children that were affected by this." Jack said. "Ianto said Stella did the same thing this morning. She's fourteen. I haven't heard anything odd from any day cares so it must be from about six years old to fourteen years old."

"You lost me." Kale said suddenly.

But Jack was too far lost in his thoughts because now he was wondering why Tucker was the only kid in his entire school that had been affected. Suddenly he snapped out of it and looked at Kale. "Come on Kale. We've got work to do."

"Wait…. What?"

"You're going to help us! Wait….. First I need to go check on Steven," he said thoughtfully.

"Who's Steven?" Kale asked.

"My grandson." he said hopping up. "Come on then Kale! You're coming with me, and text Tucker, I need him too."

"Um, yes sir!" he said jumping up. Then he ran after the captain following him through town.

When Jack finally arrived at Alice's house he looked down at Kale who was definitely lost.

"So explain to me again why I'm here." Kale asked.

"You're here to….. Keep Steven company while I talk to his mother." Jack pulled out off the top of his head.

"You're lying. But whatever. How old is this kid anyway?"

"He's seven…. Or maybe eight….." Jack blushed a bit when he realized he had no idea just how old his grandson was.

"I won't say anything. Promise." Kale muttered.

The meeting with Alice certainly didn't go as planned. She didn't believe that he had no idea what was going on and she refused to let him take Steven who was outside playing with a rugby ball with Kale.

"So who's the kid? Another child of yours?" Alice asked, obviously referring to Kale.

"He's a friend of a friend."

Alice raised her brow at him.

"He's my boyfriend's little brother's boyfriend. Does that make sense?" he asked.

"Okay, number one, you have a boyfriend? Number two why is your boyfriend's little brother's boyfriend hanging out with you?"

"Apparently Tucker was acting a bit odd this morning and he was the only boy in the school."

Alice just nodded.

"So, what's his name?"

"Kale."

"You're boyfriend's name is Kale?"

"No. No Kale's out there playing with Stephen. My boyfriend's name is Ianto."

"Ianto? How old is Ianto?" she asked.

"Do you really have to know?"

"That lets me know he's younger then me. Where's he from?"

"Here." Jack sighed, wondering why his daughter was suddenly interested in his love life.

"What does he do?"

"He's an archivist." Jack muttered, not wanting Alice to know that they worked together,

"Sounds a bit boring for you doesn't it?"

"Ianto is anything but boring. He has a family I can relate to."

"You can relate to someone?" Alice asked, genuinely surprised.

"Weird I know, but yeah, and he ended up adopting a teenage girl named Stella, so that would make her something like a step sister to you."

"How many people have you shagged behind this man's back?" Alice asked.

"Not a single person. Alice, I've practically stopped flirting with people."

"This man must be a saint. When do I get to meet him then?"

Jack was somewhat surprised to hear that Alice wanted to meet Ianto. He truly wasn't expecting it. "You want to meet him?"

"Is that a problem? What? Does he not know about me?"

"He knows about you." Jack admitted. "And Steven."

"Then I want to meet him. How about dinner on Saturday night? You, Ianto, and his daughter."

Jack smiled, "I'll be sure to make a note of it." he said standing up. "Anyway, I've got to get back to work."

"Alright then." Alice stood up and walked over to the door. "Steven, come say goodbye to your Uncle Jack."

Steven ran inside and gave Jack an excited hug, "Uncle Jack, Kale was teachin' me how to play rugby!"

"Cool. Is he good?" Jack asked making the boy smile.

"He's really good! And he said his boyfriend sings in a choir! I want to learn how to sing!"

"Well I'm sure if you get to meet Tucker, he'd be glad to teach you how to sing and how to scribble physics formulas all over the wall." Jack said with a chuckle.

"Physics formulas?" Alice asked.

"Tucker's a nerd." Kale chimed in. "And just very out there."

"That he is. Anyway, you're mom invited me for dinner Saturday so I'll get to see you in a couple of days."

"Uncle Jack is going to bring his boyfriend and his daughter to say hello." Alice explained.

"You have a boyfriend Uncle Jack?" Steven asked curiously. "Is he nice?"

"He's very nice."

"Does he like kids?"

"absolutely. Now then, I've got to go so I'll see you Saturday okay soldier?"

"Yes sir!" Steven giggled giving him a big hug.

After saying goodbye Jack led Kale back to the hub.

"So if he's your grandson, why does Steven call you Uncle?" Kale asked.

"His mom didn't really want him wondering why I hardly age. She was usually really bitter towards me, so the fact that she invited Ianto and I for dinner on Saturday is something new," Jack admitted thoughtfully.

The two returned to the hub in silence just to find everyone but Gwen and Ianto down in the main area along with a bunch of maroon blazers and yellow ties surrounding the couch.

"S'bout time you got back! We're been overrun by a crazy choir!" Mickey said.

"Personally we're enjoying the music they're filling the hub with." Martha said with a grin.

"I actually don't mind them. They take requests." said Owen with a chuckle. "They do Frank Sinatra. Anyway, Martha and I ran tests on their lead singer, nothing out of the ordinary… for him anyway. Mind you I got quite a shock hearing four heart beats, Martha on the other hand just laughed."

"So the new question is….. Why was Tucker the only kid at the school affected?" Mickey asked.

"I still have no clue what's going on." Tucker sighed.

"Just know that you're voice is what cracked every window in Professor Finnic's physics lab." said a very pale boy quietly.

"I think that kid's a vampire." Mickey whispered. "He's too pale not to be!"

It was true, the boy looked almost albino he was so pale.

"Are you sure he's not albino?" Jack asked.

"He's from Berwick hall!" said Duncan with a smile. "They're pale there."

"Which is why it sucks that Parker got stuck as their prefect. Wade here is the only one that actually ventures outside." said Kale.

"I swear all of them besides Wade are vampires. I opened the curtains in the study room to let some light in on a cloudy day and they all started screaming and hissing at me!" Parker said. "They see in the dark too!"

"Well not quite, just very dim lights." said Wade.

"Dim enough that I have to have a flash light to walk around in the middle of the day." Parker sighed making the group laugh.

"So despite everything we still have no clue what's going on do we?" Jack asked finally.

"We're running blind Captain." Owen snarked.

Jack just sighed and made his way to his office trying to think of what to do next, but then he received a call from the doctor they had met earlier about another body going missing and he decided to investigate.

.

Ianto's day certainly wasn't going as planned, Rhiannon was suddenly interested in his love life and was surprised when he admitted he was with a man, and to top it off the SUV had been stolen so he was stuck catching a cab into the city and walking to the hub.

"Well looks like you've had a rough day."

Ianto whirled around and nearly pulled out his side arm just to find a tall skinny figure in a grey trench coat.

"Matt? What are you doing in Cardiff?" he asked the assassin slowly. The last time Ianto had seen Matt had been at Christmas two years before.

"I came because you need some help dear cuz of mine." Matt said grinning.

"If I need your help, do I even want to know?"

"Probably not. Walk and talk?"

"Dare I bring you into the hub with me?" Ianto asked slowly.

"I'm not going to do anything, besides, I'm quite obviously a master of secrecy here. Duh."

Ianto just shook his head and continued walking. "Now then, what's going on?"

"The underground has caught wind of some assassination orders from high up, and their looking for your Captain Jack Harkness and his associates."

Ianto froze. "Assassination orders for Jack?"

"And you. You're his second in command are you not? There's something big going on here Ianto, not just the children but a big government cover up and you're caught in the middle of it."

Before Matt could say anymore, Ianto ran to the tourist office wanting to find Jack and make sure he knew, Matt running behind.

When he arrived in the hub he was surprised to see Tucker and all of his friends, and everyone else was just as surprised to see him.

"What's wrong Ianto?" Owen asked. "And who's the guy in grey?"

"Hi Matt!" said Tucker with a wave from his spot on the floor.

"Hey little cuz!"

"Where's Jack?" Ianto asked slowly.

"He went back to the hospital. That doctor called and said another body went missing." said Ray Ray. "And why is Matt here?"

Ianto ignored her and attempted to get a hold of Jack, but when no response came from not only his comm or his phone he panicked and he decided it'd be best to try and find Jack.

"I'm going to go find Jack, I want everyone to stay in the hub, I don't want anyone to leave. Am I clear on that?"

"Why can we not leave?" Martha asked.

"Because according to Matt we're in trouble and when the assassin says that, you tend to believe him." Ianto said. "Come on Matt, I need you're help."

Matt nodded and quickly ran out of the hub after him.

.

Jack awoke with his usual jerk trying to figure out where he was and what was happening, He had been shot twice already and he was completely disoriented. He knew he was about to be shot a third time, he saw the barrel of a gun being pointed at him.

But then he heard a familiar voice.

"Put the gun down!"

Jack turned his head slowly to see Ianto standing with his gun drawn, someone else standing beside him in black clothing. He blinked wondering if he was imagining things or if he was just delusional. He couldn't hear what everyone was saying, but he did hear several gun shots and a few screams.

"Jack, Jack? Come on, focus Jack." Ianto said, gently patting his cheek.

"Ianto?" he mumbled.

"Come on Jack, let's get you out of here." Ianto said helping him up.

Jack looked around to see the unknown man holding one assailant at knife point and several of the others frozen in place with red dots on their heads. He had no idea what was going on but he let Ianto help lead him to the door.

"Come on Kenny!" Ianto said to the man with the knife.

"Yes sir!" The man let go of his hostage and followed them out but not before pausing at the light switch.

"Kenny! Leave the light switch alone! You didn't kill anyone!" Ianto snapped at him.

"Wait what?" Jack muttered, still confused as he heard the man behind them go 'flick, flick, flick, flick, flick.' while the light's flickered on and off.

"Kenny!" Ianto snapped again and the man came running.

The trip back to the hub was a complete blur to Jack but he did at least feel better once he was sitting on the couch in the hub, sipping on some coffee.

"So explain to us who these three are?" he inquired referring, not only to the man called Luke, but also a man in gray and younger one in black.

"Matt here is my cousin, and these two are Kenny and Tommy. No relation to Tosh's Tommy by the way. They are part of his band of dysfunctional assassins." Ianto explained.

"Dysfunctional?" Mickey asked slowly.

"It's a long story." Matt said.

They watched as the youngest one, Tommy, took out his pistol and suddenly tried to shoot himself. But Matt quickly took his gun, pulled out the clip and replaced it with a different one.

"Anyway, we got word in the assassin's underworld that there's been a government hit put out on you." Matt said.

Tommy suddenly put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger making everyone jump, except Ianto, Tucker, and Matt. But Tim was still standing. He put a hand to the side of his head and pulled it away to shriek when he saw green.

"It's just ballistics gel that I dyed green Tom. Calm down." Matt said, patting the boy's shoulder. "Anyways. The government is obviously trying to cover something up and they don't like Torchwood."

Tom put the gun in his mouth and after pulling the trigger found his mouth full of something sticky.

"I believe a man named John Frobisher is behind it."

"What is this?" Tom grumbled,

"It's called getting creative with food because you're second attempt always results in your trying to shoot yourself in the mouth. Now then, Frobisher issued a blank page on you guys and that's obviously not good. Luckily we got to Jack in time because he was going to be a part of an elaborate attempt to get rid of you all at once."

Jack was trying to pay attention to what the normal assassin was trying to tell them, but everyone seemed to be distracted as Tom tried to shoot himself in the stomach, just to be covered in some weird pink gel similar to the first shot.

Ianto finally walked over with a plate that had a piece of cake on it, he took Tom's gun and sat him down on the floor handing him the cake,

"Cake?" the young man wondered childishly. "I get cake? Did I do good Uncle Ianto?"

"You did fantastic today Tom, now eat your cake and I'm going to put your gun in the armory. Now then….. Rest of the weapons?"

They watched as the boy cheerfully emptied his pockets of several small arms and pushed over a medium sized silver case and Ianto picked everything up and took it all to the armory.

"Is this normal for you guys?" Owen asked slowly.

"Yes. Yes it is." Matt said.

"Has anyone actually examined the kid?" Martha asked.

"He's in therapy and he's improving. Anyway, whatever is going on is in London." said Matt.

"So….. We need to go to London." Jack sighed, closing his eyes.

"Essentially….. Yes. You do." Matt agreed. "And you need to get everyone you want to protect to safety."

A couple of hours later the hub appeared to have turned into a shelter. Not only were the Manchester boys there, Stella and Russell had arrived, and Rhys was there as well.

In the end they had split the team in two. Ray Ray, Mickey, and Martha would stay at the hub with Russell and Stella and Jack, Ianto, Gwen Rhys, and the boys that refused to stay behind were going to head to London, Kale telling Jack that the group could help financially considering they were never actually associated with Torchwood and were from wealthy families, or had ties into politics which could be useful.

In the end, they made their way to London under the cover of night, and the entire way, Jack had a bad feeling that he knew what was happening, and this time, he wasn't going to give in and repeat history. This time he was going to fight, and if he was going to go down, he was taking his old accomplices with him.

A/N:And day one has officially ended. We got to meet a little more of Tucker's friends, and we can't forget our assassins that were mentioned back in Chapter 11 when Kit and Tara visited Cardiff. Anyway, let me know what you guys think and as always, thanks for sticking with me!


	61. Ianto's death or is it?

A/N: sorry it's taken me forever to update guys! but fear not! I have returned! I decided to end this in three chapters then I'm going to start on a sequel to go with Miracle day. I hope you guys still like this!

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood... whatever!

.

.

.

As sun rose the group arrived at an old warehouse and Ianto cut the lock of with a pair of bolt cutters.

"This is us." he said, throwing the lock to the side. "This is our home here in London."

"Oh, it sure is cozy isn't it?" Gwen muttered sarcastically.

"We did offer to let you stay at the main hub." Jack told her.

"At least it's got a couch." said Owen flopping down onto the old sofa.

"Of course, it's devoid of everything else we may need." Gwen said.

"That's where we come in." said Duncan. "We'll be more then happy to find some equipment."

"No one will expect a high school choir to be in cahoots with you lot." said Peter.

"I will gladly be one of the first one's out of here." said Kale.

Everyone suddenly noticed that Kale had become very fidgety.

"Actually…. I'm just gonna go sit outside." he said suddenly, then he turn and ran out the door, Tucker running after him.

"What's his problem?" Rhys asked, but all of the boys just nodded in understanding.

"Kale's not too fond of warehouses." said Lucas.

"Why not?" Jack asked slowly.

"You ever hear of the Christmas kidnapping a couple years ago in Scotland? The son of a bank owner was kidnapped out of their own house?" Peter asked.

Jack nodded remembering the story.

"That was Kale. His parents are never home and he went home for the holidays just to be kidnapped." Duncan explained. "They found him in barely alive and left in an abandoned warehouse after almost a month. That's why he doesn't like warehouses and while he hates going home."

Jack suddenly understood, it was like how he became claustrophobic after Gray had buried him for centuries. So he went outside to find Kale and Tucker sitting on the ground leaning against the wall.

"Hey Kale, are you going to be okay?" Jack asked, kneeling down in front of them.

"Yeah, I'm just….. Not fond of warehouses." he sighed.

"But you can't sit outside forever. You'll freeze." Jack pointed out.

"I'll be okay." Kale said unconvincingly.

"Not hardly. You know that we'd never let anything hurt you, right Kale?" he asked trying to comfort the young man.

"I know, it's just…" Kale broke off and looked down at the ground.

"I completely understand where you're coming from Kale, but you do have to face your fear. You saying you'll never go into another warehouse is like me…" he paused trying to think up a comparison. "It's like me saying I'll never go near another desert because it'll bring back memories of when I lost my family."

"And when was the last time you went to a desert?" Kale asked slowly.

"It's been a while, there are no deserts in England or Wales." Jack mumbled. "But the point is….."

"I get the point Mr. Harkness." Kale sighed interrupting him. "I'll just have to make sure that I stay in a well lit area. I don't like the dark either."

"I think we can arrange that." Jack said with a smile. "Now come on, we've got work to do."

With some help and advice the boys had gotten pretty much every thing they needed with computers, food and a few creature comforts and anything else they might need. Ianto had gotten them all new clothes except the boys who decided to remain in their bright maroon blazers.

Ianto spent quite a bit of his time trying to set up the new equipment while Gwen went to find a government worker who had contacted them and to go bail out Clem McDonald who had been arrested, Rhys decided to make everyone some lunch, Owen appeared to be dozing on the couch and Jack went to work helping Ianto set everything up.

The choir on the other hand sat on the floor in a corner just chatting away.

Ianto really didn't know what to think when Jack had run out on them though so he just sat in silence working on how to deal with the man that Gwen had brought in.

"I don't like him." Tucker whispered to Ianto as they stood together while Rhys and Gwen made small talk with Clem."

"I'm not exactly fond of him. But any particular reason why you don't like him?" Ianto inquired softly.

"I just don't." Tucker muttered.

Then they heard Clem, "Who's the queer?"

"Oi!" Ianto and Tucker shouted in unison rounding on the man making everyone go silent.

"Either you're using that word in the context of me being a bit out of the ordinary or I take offence sir." Tucker growled.

But Clem just ignored them. "They're both queer, I can tell." he told Gwen who smirked slightly.

"Well fuck you too you old bat!" Tucker snapped, surprising everyone.

"You watch your language." Gwen chided.

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Like I'm really going to listen to you, you let him call us queer and I don't take kindly to that." Tucker huffed then he stalked off to join the other boys.

"Does he talk to all adults that way?" Rhys asked.

"Nope, just Gwen." Ianto said suddenly realizing why Tucker wasn't so fond of the Welshwoman. "I think partially because she looks like his mother."

"Why would that make him snap at me?" Gwen asked somewhat irritably.

"Because his mother abused him his entire life before abandoning him at a sanctuary hospital and telling him she never loved him ever and was glad to be rid of him."

"Well it's obvious I'm not his mother so why should he snap at me?" Gwen muttered, obviously disliking the boy.

"You've never been traumatized or abused have you?" Ianto asked. "You looking like Tucker's mother is just a trigger. Kinda like when I see Providence park and I remember my mother blaming me for her being put there, or when I woke up there after I attempted suicide. I'm sure Clem here has triggers too. They tend to make you irritable and not so nice."

Gwen suddenly turned red and put her head down and Ianto turned back to what he was working on so she wouldn't see his little self satisfied smile. He had to admit while he and Gwen were on stable ground when it came to their friendship, there were still times he had issues working with her and now was one of them.

Everyone was silent for a while, but after a couple of hours Jack had returned with two new visitors. A woman and a little boy.

But Clem didn't take kindly to Jack and at his first opportunity he grabbed Gwen's gun and shot Jack.

Ianto ran to Jack as Gwen tried to calm the man down, and the boys suddenly tried to shield the woman and the boy who were frozen in shock. Ianto held Jack tightly waiting for him to wake as Gwen tried to get Clem to give up the gun while Rhys and Owen stood close by ready to tackle the man if needed.

When Clem let his guard down, Tucker rushed forward and snatched the gun out of Clem's hand before removing the clip and setting them on the nearest table.

Suddenly Jack jerked in Ianto's arms as he sucked in a harsh breath causing Clem to panic and run.

"It's okay Jack, I've got you." Ianto whispered reassuringly as he gently rocked the older man back and forth.

"Did he just come back to life?" one of the boys asked curiously.

"We're hanging around Tucker. Why should this be surprising?" another boy asked.

Ianto felt Jack shake slightly as he chuckled softly.

"Is Tucker really so out of the ordinary that me coming back to life doesn't worry you?" Jack asked as Ianto helped him up.

"We've met you family." the pale boy named Wade said.

"Ah, that explains it. But now you get to meet my family." Jack said.

"Grandpa Jack! Grandpa Jack! Are you okay?" the little boy cried, rushing forward to hug Jack around the legs.

"What happened to Uncle?" Kale asked.

"I figured I might as well try and explain something." the woman sighed. "And what are you doing here young man?"

"We're helping." said Kale.

"Anyway. Guys, this little soldier here is my grandson Steven, and his mother Alice. Alice you've met Kale, Tucker is the gawky kid next to you." Jack said pointed.

Alice turned to see Tucker give her a little wave.

"And this is Ianto."

Ianto walked over and extended a hand in greeting. "I've heard plenty about you miss." He was surprised when Alice suddenly pounced on him in a hug.

"Thank you for taking care of my dad." she whispered.

Ianto smiled and returned the hug, glad to have received such a warm welcome from Jack's daughter. Then he turned and was surprised to see the boy standing in front of Tucker, regarding the time lord child with curiosity.

"Do I call you Uncle Tucker if your Grandpa's boyfriend's brother?" Steven asked.

"I don't know." Tucker shrugged.

Steven looked at Alice in curiosity.

"It's up to him if you can call him 'uncle' Steven." she told him.

"Uncle Tucker?" Steven asked.

"Sure, why not?" Tucker shrugged, then he sat down on the floor, and Tucker joined him along with the rest of the giant group who surrounded the boy protectively.

After Alice was introduced to Rhys and Owen she sat on the couch with Owen as Jack explained who the aliens were and why they were on earth.

The fact that the aliens wanted more children was horrific and the group refused to let the government give in.

Ianto looked over to see Steven wrapped in Tucker's blazer and the boys sang to him making him smile. To Ianto it meant that his family and Jack's family were managing to forge a friendship between them, and Ianto didn't want to loose any of the children. Not his niece and nephew, not his brother, and not Jack's grandson and he would fight to make sure that the children remained on earth.

"So, can I ask what this giant group of high school boys is doing with you lot?" Alice asked.

"They're the Manchester Academy choir." Ianto said with a smile. "And they insisted on helping out."

"All of our equipment here, they got it for us." Jack said. "The boys are extremely helpful."

"They're keeping Steven calm." Alice said smiling a little bit.

"They won't let anything happen to you guys." Owen said. "They're a very overprotective group. Provoke one, you provoke them all, and singing's not their only skill."

"Well that's something to keep in mind I suppose. But for now, our next issue is, how do we stop these aliens from taking the children, and another thing, what if the government finds us here?" Alice inquired.

"This warehouse is one of the safest places around." said Ianto.

"That's why when I discovered that Frobisher wanted to kidnap you and Steven I brought you here." Jack explained. "But right now the only thing I can think of is to try and confront the 456 themselves."

"What, like…. Go have a chat with one of 'em?" Owen asked incredulously.

Jack nodded.

"I'll go with you." Ianto said, not wanting Jack to go alone.

"You don't have to." Jack told him.

"I'm second in command. I say I go too." Ianto told him stubbornly, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Alright, if you insist." Jack sighed, obviously knowing it was best for him to not argue.

Ianto had to admit he really wasn't so sure about what he was about to encounter as he got ready to leave with Jack, but he knew he had to help to protect his family. He had to protect Tucker, and David and Mica, and little Steven.

"Are you ready Ianto?" Jack asked as he put on his coat.

"Of course sir." Ianto said.

Jack and Ianto were both surprised when Alice gave them each a large hug.

"Come back safe, okay guys?" she said, worry apparent on her face, as she smoothed down Jack's coat lapels, before gently straightening Ianto's tie. "Now go scare those aliens away."

"That is our plan." Jack said with a smile.

After saying goodbye the two left the warehouse and made their way to the Thames house. But of course the roads around the Thames house were blocked so they had to make several blocks by foot, so Ianto took the opportunity to call Rhiannon, even if it was only for one final goodbye.

"Don't let anyone take Mica or David away from you Rhiannon. These aliens want millions of kids."

"Why?" Rhiannon had gasped.

"I don't know, but don't let the kids out of your sight Rhi, I've got to go. I love you, and tell the little ones I love them too. I've even started warming up to Johnny a bit, the daft sod." After giving the people listening in a warning he hung up.

"Are you ready Ianto?" Jack asked, drawing his gun and pulling out the clip.

"As ready as I can be sir." Ianto admitted, doing the same.

The two of them marched into Thames house just to have security guards draw their guns.

"Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones, we're Torchwood." Jack said as they slammed their guns down on the counter.

After gaining clearance, the two of them headed up to the thirteenth floor where the alien tank resided. Once they told Dekker where to send the live video feed they ventured into the room.

Ianto really wasn't sure what he was expecting but he tried to stay calm in the face of the tank full of gas.

Jack spoke first. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness. I've dealt with you lot before. I'm here to explain why this time, you're not getting what you want."

"You yielded in the past." the voice filled the room making Ianto want to shiver, but he held his ground.

"And don't I know it. I was there in 1965, I was part of that trade. That's why I'm never going to let it happen again."

"Explain."

"There's a saying here on earth, that a very old, very wise friend of mine taught me it: and injury to one is an injury to all. And when people act on that philosophy the human race is the finest species in the universe."

Ianto wanted to roll his eyes but decided that it wasn't the time. Instead he decided to speak up. "Forget the philosophy. What he's trying to say is you're not getting one single, solitary child. The deal is off."

"But I like the philosophy." Jack muttered.

"I gathered." Ianto sighed.

"You yielded in the past, you will do so again." the alien interrupted.

"In the past the numbers were so small they could be kept a secret. This time that's not going to happen." Jack explained. "Because we've recorded everything. Every negotiation with you. Everything the politicians said, everything that happened in this room, and those tapes will be made public unless you leave this planet for good."

Ianto listened as Jack threatened the alien with war against the earth, agreeing to lead the human race into battle if he must. "You've got enough information on this planet. Check your records. His name is Captain Jack Harkness, go back a hundred and fifty years and see what you're dealing with."

"Well this is interesting, isn't it" the alien muttered in what Ianto could only assume was a thoughtful tone.

Ianto could only listen as the alien explained about the infant mortality rate and humans adapting as well as Jack's come back.

But then alarms started to blare.

"Action has already been taken." the alien said.

"What have you done?" Jack demanded.

"You wanted a demonstration of war. A virus has been released. It will kill everyone in the building."

It was then that Ianto remembered something. Before everything started, he had gone to look at the diaries Alistair had given him. It didn't go beyond the day they went to the hospital for the hitchhiker and know he knew why. He must have died.

"Well, if this is how I died, I might as well go down fighting." Ianto muttered to himself as he pulled out his gun while Jack ran to warn everyone. "If there's a virus, then there must be an anti-virus. Release it now or I'll blow a hole in the tank and we'll all die together." he threatened.

Suddenly Jack ran back into the room. "Okay! You've made you're point! Now stop this so we can talk!"

"You are dying, even now." the alien stated.

Together they both fired at the tank, but the bullets just ricocheted off the glass. Suddenly the alien started to shriek, flinging mucus about it's container as it banged it's claws against the glass.

"What's it doing?" Jack asked.

"I don't know." Ianto suddenly began to feel himself getting weaker and it felt like he was about to collapse.

"Ianto, we've got to get you out of here, I can survive anything, but you can't."

"It's too late Jack, I've already breathed the air."

"There's got to be an antidote! Something!"

"you said you would fight." the alien said.

"Then I take it back!" Jack shouted at the tank. "I take it all back, just not Ianto okay?"

Ianto felt his heart swell at Jack's attempts to reason for his life, but he knew it would never happen. He suddenly sank to his knees and Jack held on, trying to keep him up.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Ianto! No! Come on! No!" Jack cried, holding Ianto close.

The alien said something, but it fell on deaf ears.

"It's all my fault." Jack said softly, distress in his voice.

"No it's not Jack. I insisted on coming along." Ianto admitted.

"Save your breath, don't speak okay?" Jack said, as if hoping it would prolong his life.

Ianto couldn't help but let out a tiny sob. But then he closed his eyes and suddenly felt like he was falling asleep just to feel Jack shaking him.

"Ianto? Ianto no! Stay with me Ianto! Stay with me, please! Please! I can't loose you too!"

"I love you Jack."

Jack smiled weakly. "I love you too. That's why I won't give up on you."

"Hey, it was good yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Don't forget me?" Ianto asked softly.

"I never could Ianto Jones."

Ianto wanted to chuckle. "In a thousand years time, you won't remember me."

"Yes I will! Because you're family will still be there to remind me of you for centuries to come."

Ianto smiled softly. Ironic how he was a part of a family that had unnaturally long life spans, and yet his still ended to early. And with one last breath, Ianto fell into darkness.

A/N:OMG! Ianto is dead! sort of... that's why I waited. Review then read on the next chapter is waiting!


	62. random but essential

A/N: okay, so this chapter is going to be quite a bit different, but in my story it's essential to keeping Ianto alive! So just go with it, okay?

Disclaimer: I may not own Torchwood, but I at least own two of the Characters in this chapter! Wootaaaahhh!

.

.

.

Alistair walked into the room and felt his chest tighten when he saw the boy he had come to consider a baby brother, lying beside the man he was created for, slowly dying.

"Chip!"

"Yes sir!" the little six year old mixed breed jumped up beside him.

Alistair looked down at the boy with his sandy brown hair and big green eyes and mismatched wings.

Chip was the son of a healing angel and a demon soul chaser like himself, but he was quite useful in the long run.

Together they watched as the two men slowly died.

"So… which one am I helping?" Chip asked.

"The younger one."

"And the older guy?"

"He'll be alright on his own. But Ianto won't. Remember our little deal Chip."

"I help Ianto live and you find me a human family to grow up with?" Chip said excitedly.

"Very good." Alistair said with a smile and a nod. It was his agreement with the boy who wasn't accepted in heaven or the underworld. Chip wanted to be normal, so Alistair made him a deal, if Ianto lived, he would give Chip a new family.

Chip skipped over to Ianto and knelt down beside him.

"How we gonna keep him from dyin' again master?" Chip asked as Alistair kneeled beside him.

"That's where I come in, but first you have to heal him."

"Gotcha!" he said with a nod.

Alistair watched as the boy put his little hands on Ianto's chest and focused all his might on healing the young man, making the body glow with a warm golden light before Ianto let out a heavy gasp, signaling that he was once again breathing.

"So now what?" Chip asked.

Alistair smiled and took a small knife out of his pocket, then he sliced open his palm and let the red and black blood drip into Ianto's mouth.

Ianto gagged slightly, but in the end, drank the liquid.

It was then that a nasty little black shadow crawled out of Ianto's mouth.

Alistair grabbed the little demon before it could run.

"He he….. Master…." it squeaked. "How nice to see you."

"You tried to kill my brother and you tortured him endlessly." Alistair snarled at the creature.

"All in good fun sir, he's only human."

Alistair roared, baring his fangs. "You know the punishment for hurting humans! For hurting my family! Death with no trial! Kasukus!"

A large green skinned demon in black armor appeared. "Master?"

"Feed him to the hounds on the castle grounds." Alistair said handing over the nasty little monster.

The faithful demon knight smiled. "My pleasure master." Then he frowned slightly, looking a bit worried. "Is Master Ianto going to be alright?"

Alistair smiled. "He shall live to see many, many more years."

The demon smiled again. "Glad to hear that sire. Now if you'll excuse me, the hounds are hungry." and with that, he disappeared.

Alistair turned to Chip and gently ran a hand through the boy's hair. "Care to help speed up the process Chip?"

"I'd be happy to!" the boy giggled. And with a bit of focus Ianto started to change.

His face looked a bit younger and his hair took on it's old fluffy look, most of his pudge disappeared leaving his suit looking slightly baggy on him as the transformation left solid muscle in it's place. But on the inside he was transforming into something more like Alistair. He would have hidden claws and sharp teeth for defense and he would never die. He would live with Jack forever, just like he was created to.

Alistair smiled and gently kissed Chip's head. "Very good Chip. And now we wait. Then I'll hold up my end of the deal." He stood up and Chip giggled before jumping into Alistair's arms. And together they walked away, and disappeared from the room.

.

.

.

A/N Ianto lives! Mostly! Hope you guys didn't mind this chapter. Let me know! next chapter is ready and waiting so click the next button already will ya?


	63. the solution

A/N: we're getting closer to the end, I sure hope you guys like this chapter and how I went about writing it. It's probably not my best, but I tried!

Disclaimer: still don't own Torchwood.

.

.

.

When Owen went running into the Tames house he really wasn't sure what he was going to find. It was bad enough that Clem had died on his watch in the warehouse, and he knew if Jack was dead he'd come back, but if he suddenly lost his beloved friend the Tea Boy, he wasn't sure what he was going to do.

Owen found himself flying past the elevator to go charging up thirteen flights of stairs and into the hallway outside of the room where the alien tank lay.

There were two soldiers standing beside two bodies on the floor.

"The one in the suit is still alive sir." one of the men said.

Owen fell to his knees and smiled when he saw Ianto's chest gently rise and fall with every soft breath he took. He couldn't help but pull the unconscious Welshman into a hug.

"Oh thank God he's alive!" Owen said, his eyes uncharacteristically filling with tears.

"Owen?" Gwen's voice drifted down the hall.

"He's alive Gwen! Tea Boy's alive!" he called back happily. He started though when he felt something tug on his shirt. He looked down to see that Ianto had one hand curled around the fabric while he appeared to be chewing on the hem on it. "Oi! What the?"

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked, sitting beside him.

Owen pulled the edge of his shirt out of Ianto's mouth to find it full of holes, as if Lana had gotten a hold of it. He looked down at Ianto and realized that the young man appeared to have changed.

"Owen, is it just me, or does he look younger?" Gwen asked slowly.

Owen reached down and gently ran a hand through Ianto's hair just to realize that it was unusually soft and somewhat longer then usual.

Ianto's face hardly had any facial hair growing, not even a five o' clock shadow, and his cheeks were thinner.

But when Owen gently opened one of Ianto's eyes he almost jumped. Mixed in with the pristine blue irises were subtle swirls of amber. He really wasn't sure what to think so he just made a decision. "We should get him to a hospital at least. Gwen, you stay with Jack till he wakes up. You." he pointed at the bigger soldier. " help me get him downstairs and call an ambulance."

.

When Jack woke up he felt his eyes well up with tears. Ianto was dead and it was all his fault.

"Hiya." came a soft voice beside him.

"Gwen?"

"Good morning." she said with a tiny smile.

"How can you smile?" Jack sighed, turning away.

"Cause you woke up and Ianto's okay?" she said in a suggesting tone.

"Ianto's gone." Jack whispered.

"He's not. He's with Owen at the local A and E unit. He's alive."

Jack shot up, suddenly feeling hopeful.

"So he's alive? He's okay?"

Gwen nodded with a smile. "Ianto will be okay. But for now we have to take care of this threat."

Jack felt his spirits lift. He would deal with these aliens and make sure they never came back.

"So what's the plan?" Gwen asked.

"For one I need you to go to see Ianto's sister. I want you and Rhys to go take care of here, they have children. Lot's of them from their neighborhood. Make sure they stay safe. "I'll deal with the 456."

So Gwen took him back to the warehouse where she picked up Rhys and left. But Jack was surprised to find Johnson and her men still there.

"So we think we've figured out a way to get rid of the alien." Tucker said proudly.

"And what's that?" Jack asked.

"A reconstitution wave." Tucker said.

"He said you have to send a frequency back to it that can kill it." said Johnson. "The question is how."

"That's the tough part. Tucker said whoever we use will be fried." Wade piped up softly. "It's kinda like how the alien killed poor old Clem, only…. Reversed."

"Use me, I'll live." Jack volunteered.

"Can't. it's got to be someone on the same frequency level." said Duncan typing away on the computer. "In other words, a child."

"Well then this plan isn't an option." Jack said adamantly. He wasn't going to loose a child, even if it was a random one.

"Then you have twenty minutes to come up with a better plan." said Johnson. "They're about to start taking children."

"Use me Jack." Tucker said suddenly.

"That's not an option either Tucker!" Jack said.

"Think about it!" Tucker said jumping out of his seat. "I'm time lord."

"You're half!" Jack protested, understanding what he was trying to say.

"But I have two hearts! Dad said I'm Time Lord enough that I more then likely have the ability to regenerate." Tucker argued back.

"I'm not going to take a chance like that!"

"There's only two of us in this warehouse that would work for this, it's either the one that has a fifty fifty chance of regeneration or the little boy who just wants to get to know his grandpa and wouldn't survive!"

"I'm not willing to make that choice! I wouldn't give up Steven, his mother would kill me before I could kill myself, and I won't use you because if it went wrong and you couldn't regenerate, I'd be just as devastated and you're family would kill me ten times over, and I'd face the wrath of both of your father's and I'd rather face a dalek army then the two of them!"

"Then you have fifteen minutes to come up with a better plan!" Tucker challenged.

In the end Jack was left with no choice but to go with Tucker's plan and he was absolutely terrified that everything could go wrong.

"If you don't survive this, I will never forgive myself, or you." Jack told Tucker as they prepared him to transmit the signal.

"I'll live. Trust me. I'll be a bit different, but I'll live."

Jack scoffed slightly. "Take into account how drastically your father changes every time,"

"I understand. Dad said one time, one of his friends changed into a woman for one of his regenerations."

Jack shook his head. "Don't turn into a girl, we don't need more complications."

"I'll do my best."

"Just remember, you might not love Kale anymore." Jack pointed out.

"I think I will, just trust me." Tucker said positively.

"I'm trying. Are you ready?"

Tucker nodded.

They started transmitting the signal and Tucker immediately went ridged and let out a high pitched shriek.

And then Steven froze and began doing the same.

They watched on the video as the alien thrashed around in it's tank screaming in pain as it threw mucus everywhere. Then, the creature began spewing blood on the walls. There was a sudden flash of light, and it was all over.

Jack turned to see Tucker slumped in the chair and was terrified that he had died.

"Is Uncle Tucker going to be okay mummy?" Steven asked quietly.

Jack rushed over to help Tucker, Kale beside him but they were surprised when Tucker moved and pulled himself out of the chair. Then Jack saw the slight glow.

Kale was about to run to him when Jack stopped him.

Then Steven tried to run to Tucker's aid.

"Wait, don't go near him just yet soldier. He'll be okay." said Jack, smiling a little as he grabbed Steven's arm.

Tucker looked up and gave a weak smile before letting out bursts of energy that knocked everyone to their feet, sending debris flying around him.

When Jack looked up he smiled.

Standing in front of them was a young man, about the same height as Tucker, but with a slightly muscular build, like a runner, and he had short, spiked silver hair, and brown eyes. His skin was lightly tanned and he had a few freckles on his nose.

"Well? How do I look?" he asked with a soft British accent as he spun around.

Kale was the first to get up and look at him closely. "Tucker?" he asked slowly.

"Yup. Whaddya think? How do I look?"

"Different." Kale said slowly. "You have grey hair."

Tucker winced slightly. "Bad or good?"

"Distinguished." Jack said with a small smile as he stood up as well. "You're one lucky little alien. My question is, has your personality changed too much? Do you still love Kale?"

Kale suddenly looked apprehensive.

"Let's see… female supermodel?" he said thoughtfully then he shook his head. "Ew, no. Kale playing Rugby? Yeah, still think Kale's hot, still in love with him." Tucker chuckled, then he kissed the boy on the cheek making everyone laugh.

"I think….. I think we're finally safe." Jack said with a small sigh.

"That's good to hear." came a new voice behind them.

Jack turned and was surprised to see Alistair smiling.

"Hi big brother!" said Tucker happily as he ran and pounced on the giant in a hug.

Jack couldn't help but do the same, feeling comforted by the giant's warmth. He shook slightly though as Alistair chuckled.

"To think the world was saved by an immortal, a tea boy, and a high school choir." he said happily.

Jack let out an indignant shout of surprise when Alistair lifted him up to sit on his shoulder. "Why are you so big?" he shouted, holding on to the giant's vest for dear life.

"Oh, don't like Ianto's favorite perch huh?" Alistair chuckled.

"No! No I don't!" Jack admitted.

"Alright then, down you go."

Jack felt better being on the ground, but then he was surprised to see a little boy peeking from behind Alistair's legs. "Hello? Who's this?"

"This is Chip." Alistair said picking up the giggling little boy. " And I need you and Ianto to watch him until I find him a family."

"Woah! Hang on, why don't I get a decision?" Jack protested.

"Just trust me, he grows on you." Alistair said. "He giggles like mad though, so be prepared."

The little boy giggled and hopped into Jack's arms who just barely had enough time to balance himself and catch the boy.

Jack set the little boy down and he immediately ran to Steven where they began talking and giggling together. "Does your family normally dump kids on people like this?" he inquired.

"Occasionally. Bye."

"Hey! Wait!" Jack cried as Alistair disappeared. "Stupid demon." He let out a heavy sigh. "So who agrees we should get Lois Habiba out of prison and offer her a job?"

All the boys and even Alice raised her hand.

"Alright then."

"We'll go get her out Captain." said Johnson with a smile. "Come on men." And with that the entire unit left.

"Now who think's we should go visit Ianto in the hospital?" Alice asked with a smile. "Doctor Harper called and said he's just unconscious for the time being, but he'll be alright."

"I think going to visit Ianto is a great idea." Jack agreed.

So everyone made their way to the local hospital including the strange little boy Alistair had left in Jack's care.

When they arrived Owen met them in the lobby.

"How is he Owen?" Jack asked.

"Sleeping." said Owen with a bit of a smile. "But all in all okay. He has gone through a few weird changes though."

"Like what?" Jack was suddenly worried that Ianto might no longer be the same Ianto he knew, or if he was for some reason disfigured somehow.

"Well for one, he's got no fat on him, anywhere. He's solid as a rock so we're going to have to keep an eye on his diet for a bit. Number two, he's got quite a set of vampire fangs on him now. He chewed through the hem of my shirt earlier."

Jack really had no idea how to react. Ianto with vampire fangs? That just sounded to weird to imagine.

"And he's growling a bit like Alistair now. That was buggin' me for a bit, but I got used to it pretty quickly. And the strangest thing of all…. He looks younger."

"He's growling, has vampire fangs, and looks younger? How much younger?"

"He looks like he did here." Owen said, holding out a plastic badge.

Jack took the badge from the medic and was surprised to see a picture of young Ianto at maybe twenty one or twenty two at most. It was his old security badge for Torchwood one.

"Well….. It could be worse I suppose." Jack sighed. "Can we go see him?"

"Just you for now." Owen said.

So everyone took a seat in the lobby while Jack followed Owen down the hall and into a private room.

Jack looked down at the young man on the bed and smiled a little.

Ianto was still in his suit, curled up on top of the blankets letting out an occasional soft growl as he slept peacefully. But Owen was right, he suddenly looked much younger, and much thinner.

"At least he's alive." Jack sighed as he pulled the chair over to the bedside and sat down.

"Yeah, I just wish I knew when he'd wake up."

"He should've been awake by now!" came a squeaky voice.

Owen and Jack jumped then turned to see Chip standing there.

"What the heck? How'd you get in 'ere? Who are you anyway?" Owen snarked.

"This is Chip, Alistair asked me to keep an eye on him." Jack sighed, still not to sure about the boy.

Chip suddenly jumped up onto the bed beside Ianto and snuggled up close to the young man who wrapped his arms around the boy.

"So we're just stuck with this kid?" Owen sighed.

"Something like that." Jack muttered.

Suddenly Ianto awoke with a gasp as he sat up, looking around at his surroundings.

"Ianto! Ianto! It's okay, you're safe now." Jack said, jumping up and hugging the young man.

"I'm alive?" Ianto muttered disbelievingly.

"Yeah. Hard to believe, but you're alive." Jack said, kissing the top of his head.

"Mister Alistair saved him! Now he'll live just as long as you Mr. Harkness!" Chip said happily.

"What does that mean? And who are you?" Ianto asked the boy.

"I'm Chip. Mr. Alistair's trying to find me a family. But he said you're supposed to live a long, long time with Mr. Harkness! There's stuff you'll have to get used to, but you can't die anymore. He said you're like Alan."

Jack suddenly understood what had happened. Alistair had made Ianto immortal, meaning they no longer had to worry about Ianto dying too young. It was a blessing and a curse and something absolutely wonderful.

"Okay, are the 456 gone?" Ianto asked, obviously deciding to ask later.

"Yup. Tucker helped get rid of him." Jack said. "Be forewarned, it forced him to regenerate. He looks quite a bit different, but he appears to be the same personality wise, if not louder."

"Well Tad's gonna kill him." Ianto sighed, leaning against Jack. "If it's all over, can we go home now?"

"Home sounds like a great idea." Jack agreed.

.

.

.

A/N: yay! Ianto's alive, everyone's okay, no children died! Everyone's happy! I hope you guys kinda like Chip. He'll be essential in the sequel. Anyway, on to the last chapter!


	64. the end! finally!

A/N: and we're finally here at the end! I can't believe you guys stuck with me for so long! You're all amazing! I hope you enjoy this last bit.

Disclaimer: how many times do I have to say the obvious? I don't own Torchwood...

.

.

.

"Jack! Jack get up!"

"But Ianto….." Jack protested, rolling over on the bed.

"Don't 'but Ianto' me Jack Harkness. You promised the kids you would take them to school today." Ianto growled as Jack buried his head under his pillow. "Fine, if you want to play, we'll play Jack. CHIP! CHIP!"

Suddenly there was the loud patter of a child's footsteps.

"Daddy!"

Jack screamed as the strange little boy launched himself on top of Jack's back.

"That's playing dirty!" he grumbled at Ianto who sat laughing as he buttoned up his waistcoat.

"Get up daddy!" Chip protested, bouncing on Jack's back.

"Chip! Stop!"

"But daddy! You promised to take me and Stella to school in the SUV today!" Chip protested.

"Fine! I'm up, I'm up!"

Chip just giggled and ran out of the room as Jack sat up.

"Remind me again why we adopted two kids?"

"Just go with it. You promised to take them to school though." Ianto said with a smile.

"Alright. Do I at least get a good morning kiss though?" Jack pouted as he stood up.

Ianto walked over and gave Jack a small kiss. "I'll see you at the hub in a bit Jack."

"Alright." Jack sighed, then he headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Ianto smiled and walked out of the room where he found Chip and Stella eating breakfast at the table. After greeting each and getting a hug and kiss he left for the hub and found himself smiling at the bit of routine in his life.

It had been nearly three months since the 456 incident and Ianto couldn't be happier.

According to Alistair Ianto would no longer be able to die because he was now something like his brother…. Not quite human. But it was for his benefit because his purpose in life was to be with Jack, so he would remain immortal and stay by Jack's side till Jack did eventually die… a few billion years from now. But Ianto tried not to dwell on time, instead he enjoyed the here and now.

Now he and Jack were living in a small house on the outskirts of Cardiff with a back yard and three bedrooms. Stella now had Chip as a little brother and Chip was happy having a family.

Tucker was still in school with the others, though explaining he was still Tucker Midnightstar to the headmaster was a challenge.

Lois Habiba had been rescued from prison and was given a position within Torchwood making their team grow to eight team members. Ten if you included Stella and Russell….. Even more when you included the entire choir that enjoyed coming around to help out and hang out.

But for Ianto, life was perfect. He was happy. He had Jack, Stella and Chip. Alice and Steven came around often for family dinners. Torchwood was running smoothly and expanding to help protect Cardiff and the world. In other words, the world was right, at least until the next alien invasion, or world wide alien epidemic, and Ianto wouldn't have it any other way.

.

.

.

A/N: and it's all over! Or is it? Well this story's over anyway. But fear not my faithful readers! If you enjoyed the story then there shall be a sequel called 'life happens' and it will go with miracle day with my huge twists along the way! But not as big as in this story. Anyway, you know the drill, if you liked let me know, if you didn't... then why'd you read this far. Let me know and I hope to hear from everyone on the sequel!


End file.
